Albon likely to keep F1 options open until late in 2024

Alex Albon has suggested that he'll take his time to decide his future in F1 beyond 2024 as he believes he has the confidence to keep himself "open" to offers outside of Williams.

Albon is contracted to the British outfit until the end of 2024, but the Anglo-Thai's stock has nicely risen this season on the back of his achievements with Williams.

Pundits believe the 27-year-old may end up back where he started, within the Red Bull family as Max Verstappen's teammate at Red Bull Racing.

But it has been rumored that Ferrari is also keeping an eye on the Williams charger as a potential candidate for a seat with the Scuderia from 2025.

The growing interest in Albon isn't lost on the latter and it will likely encourage him to take his time before plotting his next course in the sport, be that with Williams or with another team on the grid.

• Read also: Williams lays out path for Sargeant to remain in F1

"I think I have the confidence in myself to keep myself open," he said when asked about how he'll manage his future.

"There's a balance really. Being totally honest, I want to see this team and I want to be part of a team that brings this team forward.

"I think the rate of progress that we're having here at Williams and seeing what's happening behind the scenes is great. I'm fully committed to the team until my contract pretty much ends.

"But I am also 27. Although I'm not young, I'm also not old. And I do feel like I am in a good part of my career. If you take another year I'm 28, then 29 going onto 30 soon.

"I want to give myself the chance to be able to fight for wins and fight for podiums. And what it comes down to is, at that time and in that time, can we bring this team to be that team?"

Ideally, Albon would love to remain at Grove and carry Williams back to the front of the grid. And that's a prospect that he certainly believes in if the team can continue to raise its game and iron out the creases embedded in its cars in past seasons.

"I think we're in a window of opportunity for us, because we're achieving results and we believe there's even more potential if we can fix these characteristic problems," he said.

"We got downforce on the car, maybe a little bit less than some of the top teams around us, but we're also poor within some corners where we just can't be at the limit through the whole corner because we have a certain limitation at a certain point.

"Once that goes away I think we are going to become a much more rounded team.

"That being said, it sounds very easy to say. It's been a limitation in the car for almost over five, six years, I'd say.

"So we do need to address it and fix it, but I feel like now, more than ever, there's a good chance we're going to really get on top of it.

"We may not fix it completely, but I do believe we're going to make a good step."

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