Alex Albon

Alexander Albon Ansusinha was born on March 23, 1996, in London, England, to a Thai mother and British father. He races under the Thai flag, carrying the hopes of a nation that has produced very few F1 drivers. Albon's junior career was a roller coaster — he was initially part of the Red Bull Junior Team but was dropped in 2012, only to earn his way back through sheer performance in the lower categories.

Albon competed in Formula Renault, GP3, and Formula 2, steadily improving and earning results that caught Red Bull's attention again. He won races in F2 and finished third in the 2018 championship, which led to an unexpected call-up to Toro Rosso for 2019 after Red Bull decided to give him another chance.

His time at Toro Rosso (now RB) was brief but impressive. After just half a season, Albon was promoted to Red Bull Racing as Pierre Gasly's replacement alongside Max Verstappen. At Red Bull, Albon showed he could compete at the front, taking multiple podiums and demonstrating excellent race pace, particularly his remarkable overtaking moves. However, he struggled to match Verstappen in qualifying, and the pressure of the Red Bull environment proved challenging.

After the 2020 season, Albon was replaced by Sergio Pérez and dropped to a test and reserve role. Rather than fading away, he used the time to improve and eventually secured a race seat at Williams for 2022. At Williams, Albon transformed — he became the undisputed team leader, consistently extracting maximum performance from a car that was often the slowest on the grid.

His defensive driving skills became legendary — his ability to hold off faster cars for lap after lap earned him numerous points and driver of the day awards. He became one of the most well-liked drivers in the paddock, known for his cheerful personality, love of cats, and genuine warmth. Albon's journey from Red Bull reject to respected team leader is one of the great comeback stories in modern F1, and he continues to be a formidable competitor despite often having machinery that limits his results.