Alex Albon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alex Albon
อเล็กซ์ อัลบอน
Albon in 2024
Born	Alexander Albon Ansusinha (1996-03-23) 23 March 1996 (age 29) Westminster, London, England
Partner(s)	Lily He (2019–present)
Parent(s)	Nigel Albon (father)
Relatives	Mark Albon (uncle)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Thai
Car number	23
Entries	111 (109 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	2
Career points	260
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	2019 Australian Grand Prix
Last entry	2019 Monaco Grand Prix
2024 position	16th (12 pts)
Previous series
2021 2017–2018 2016 2015 2012–2014 2013–2014 2012	DTM FIA Formula 2 GP3 Series FIA F3 European Formula Renault Eurocup Formula Renault NEC Formula Renault 2.0 Alps
Awards
2019 2019	FIA Rookie of the Year Autosport Rookie of the Year

Alexander Albon Ansusinha (born March 23, 1996) is a talented racing driver who competes in Formula One. He races under the Thai flag for the Williams team.

Alex was born in London, England, and grew up in Suffolk. His father, Nigel Albon, was also a racing driver. Alex started his racing journey in karting, where he won several championships. After karting, he moved up to different junior racing series. He finished second in the GP3 Series in 2016 and third in the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2018.

In 2019, Alex made his big debut in Formula One with the Toro Rosso team. After just 12 races, he was promoted to the main team, Red Bull, to race alongside Max Verstappen. In 2020, he achieved his first two podium finishes in Formula One, becoming the first Thai driver to do so.

After a year as a reserve driver for Red Bull, Alex joined Williams in 2022. He continues to race for Williams and is signed with them until at least the end of the 2026 season. Outside of Formula One, Alex also competed in the DTM series in 2021, where he won his first race.

About Alex Albon

Alex Albon was born in London, England, on March 23, 1996. His father, Nigel Albon, used to be a racing driver in the British Touring Car Championship. His mother, Kankamol, is from Thailand. Alex also has an uncle, Mark Albon, who was a racing driver.

Alex grew up in Bures, Suffolk, with his younger brother, Luca, and three sisters, Chloe, Zoe, and Alicia. He went to Ipswich School before focusing on his racing career. He looked up to famous racers like Michael Schumacher and Valentino Rossi when he was young.

Alex has both British and Thai citizenship, but he races for Thailand. He practices Buddhism. Alex and his family love animals and have many pets, including cats, a dog, and two horses. Since 2019, he has been dating Chinese golfer Lily He.

Alex's Journey in Racing

Karting

Alex started racing karts when he was 8 years old in 2005. He quickly became very good, winning his local championship in Hoddesdon. In 2006, he won the Kartmasters British Grand Prix and the Super 1 National Honda Cadet Championship.

From 2008 to 2010, he raced in the KF3 class. During this time, he won many big titles, including the Kartmasters British Grand Prix, Formula Kart Stars Championship, KF Winter Series, Super 1 National KF3 Championship, CIK-FIA World Cup, and CIK-FIA European Championship. In 2011, he moved to the KF1 class and finished second in both the WSK Euro Series and the CIK-FIA World Championship.

Junior Car Racing

After karting, Alex moved to car racing. He joined the Formula Renault Eurocup series in 2012. It was a tough year, and he didn't score any points. He was part of the Red Bull Junior Team that year but was dropped at the end of 2012.

In 2013 and 2014, Alex continued in Formula Renault. He improved a lot, getting a pole position and finishing third in the drivers' championship in 2014.

In 2015, Alex raced in the FIA European Formula 3 Championship. He earned two pole positions and five podium finishes, ending the season in seventh place overall.

The next year, 2016, Alex joined the GP3 Series. He had a fantastic season, winning four races and finishing second in the championship, right behind his teammate Charles Leclerc.

Formula 2 Championship

In 2017, Alex moved up to the FIA Formula 2 Championship, which is a step closer to Formula One. He had a strong first year, even though he missed one race due to a broken collarbone from a mountain biking accident. He managed to get two podium finishes and finished 10th in the championship.

In 2018, Alex joined the DAMS team for Formula 2. This was a very successful year for him. He won four races and earned eight podiums. He finished third in the championship, showing he was ready for Formula One.

Formula E

Alex was supposed to race in Formula E for the 2018–19 season. However, he was released from his contract before the season started because he got the chance to race in Formula One.

Formula One Career

Toro Rosso (2019)

On November 26, 2018, it was announced that Alex would join the Toro Rosso team for the 2019 Formula One season. This brought him back into the Red Bull family. He became the second Thai driver in Formula One history.

Alex made his Formula One debut at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix, finishing 14th. He scored his first points in the next race in Bahrain, finishing ninth. At the 2019 Chinese Grand Prix, he had a big crash in practice but recovered to finish 10th in the race, earning the Driver Of The Day award. His best result with Toro Rosso was a sixth-place finish at the 2019 German Grand Prix.

Red Bull (2019–2021)

2019

After the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2019, Alex was promoted to the main Red Bull team. He replaced Pierre Gasly and became teammates with Max Verstappen. Red Bull wanted to see how he performed in the faster car.

In his first race for Red Bull at the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix, Alex started 17th but finished an impressive fifth. He continued to show strong performances, finishing fifth or sixth in most races. At the 2019 Japanese Grand Prix, he achieved his best career finish at the time, coming in fourth. He ended his first Formula One season in eighth place overall and received the Rookie of the Year award.

2020

Alex continued to race for Red Bull in 2020. At the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix, he was in a good position for a podium but had contact with Lewis Hamilton and had to retire.

He achieved his first Formula One podium at the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix, finishing third. This was a historic moment for Thai motorsport. He got another podium later in the season at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, finishing third again. Alex finished the 2020 season in seventh place in the drivers' championship.

2021

For the 2021 season, Alex became the test and reserve driver for Red Bull. He said it was tough but hoped to return to a full-time racing seat. He also took on a coaching role for AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda.

Williams (2022–)

2022

Alex returned to Formula One in 2022, joining the Williams team. He replaced George Russell and partnered with his former Formula 2 teammate Nicholas Latifi. Red Bull still had an option to bring him back, showing they believed in his talent.

In his first race for Williams, he finished 13th. He scored his first point for Williams at the 2022 Australian Grand Prix by finishing 10th, even though he started last! At the 2022 Miami Grand Prix, he scored points again, finishing ninth. Alex had to miss the 2022 Italian Grand Prix because he had appendicitis and needed surgery. He recovered quickly and was back for the next race. He finished the season 19th in the championship.

2023

Williams kept Alex for the 2023 season, and he signed a multi-year contract. He partnered with Logan Sargeant. This new contract meant he was no longer linked to Red Bull.

Alex had a very strong season in 2023. He often qualified well and managed to score points for Williams, even though their car wasn't always the fastest. At the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix, he finished seventh, which was his best result for Williams at that time. He also had great performances at the 2023 British Grand Prix and 2023 Italian Grand Prix, showing his skill in defending his position against faster cars. He finished the season 13th in the championship, scoring 27 points.

DTM Racing

In 2021, while he was a reserve driver for Red Bull, Alex also competed in the DTM series. This is a popular touring car championship in Germany. He drove for the AF Corse team.

On August 22, 2021, Alex won his first DTM race at the Nürburgring. This made him the first Thai driver to win a DTM race. He finished the season in sixth place overall.

Racing Records

Karting Career Summary

Racing Career Summary

Images for kids

• 

  Albon at Spa in 2015, European Formula 3 Championship

• 

  Albon at Red Bull Ring in 2018

• 

  Albon on the podium after winning the 2018 Silverstone Formula 2 round

• 

  Albon at Formula E testing in Marrakesh, December 2017

• 

  Albon driving for Toro Rosso at the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix

• 

  Albon driving for Red Bull at the 2019 Italian Grand Prix

• 

  Albon driving for Red Bull in Barcelona in 2020 during pre-season testing

• 

  Albon racing at the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix, where he achieved his maiden podium

• 

  Alex Albon at the 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

• 

  Albon at the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix

• 

  Albon at the 2023 Italian Grand Prix

• 

  Albon at the Hockenheimring in 2021

See also

In Spanish: Alex Albon para niños