Alex Albon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alex Albon
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| อเล็กซ์ อัลบอน | |
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Albon in 2024
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Alexander Albon Ansusinha
23 March 1996 Westminster, London, England
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| Partner(s) | Muni "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 | |
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Alexander "Alex" 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. Albon was born in London, England, and grew up in Suffolk.
He started his racing journey in karting, where he won several championships. Later, he moved up to different junior racing series like FIA Formula 2. In 2019, Albon made his big debut in Formula One with Toro Rosso. He then moved to Red Bull Racing and achieved his first podium finishes in 2020. After a year as a reserve driver, he joined Williams in 2022 and has been a key part of their team ever since.
Alex Albon's Early Life and Family
Alex Albon was born in Westminster, London, on March 23, 1996. His father, Nigel Albon, was also a racing driver. His mother, Kankamol "Minky" Albon, is from Thailand. Alex also has an uncle, Mark Albon, who raced cars.
He grew up in Bures, Suffolk, with his younger brother, Luca, and three sisters, Chloe, Zoe, and Alicia. Alex went to Ipswich School before focusing on his racing career. He has mentioned that famous racers like Michael Schumacher and Valentino Rossi inspired him when he was younger.
Alex holds both British and Thai citizenship. He races under the Thai flag because of his sponsors. He also practices Buddhism. Alex and his family have many pets, including cats, a dog, and two horses. Since 2019, he has been dating Chinese golfer Muni He, also known as Lily He.
Alex Albon's Junior Racing Career
Karting Success
Alex Albon began racing karts competitively in 2005 when he was just 8 years old. He quickly showed his skill, winning local championships. 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 important titles, including the Formula Kart Stars Championship, the CIK-FIA World Cup, and the CIK-FIA European Championship. In 2011, he moved up to KF1 and finished second in both the WSK Euro Series and the CIK-FIA World Championship.
Formula Renault Experience
After karting, Albon moved to Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup series in 2012 with EPIC Racing. It was a tough year, and he didn't score any points. He was part of the Red Bull Junior Team that year but left at the end of 2012.
In 2013, Albon joined KTR for the 2013 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 season. He improved, getting one fastest lap and one pole position in Austria. He finished 16th in the championship. The 2014 season was even better. He didn't win a race but earned a pole position at the Nürburgring and finished third in the drivers' championship.
FIA European Formula 3
In 2015, Alex Albon switched to FIA European Formula 3 with the Signature team. He finished seventh overall. He achieved two pole positions and five podium finishes, which means he finished in the top three in those races.
GP3 Series
In 2016, Albon raced in the GP3 Series for ART Grand Prix. He had a very strong season, winning four races. He finished as the runner-up in the championship, right behind his teammate Charles Leclerc.
Formula 2 Championship
Racing with ART Grand Prix (2017)
In 2017, Albon moved up to the FIA Formula 2 Championship with ART Grand Prix. He had some good races, like finishing fifth in Spain and fourth in Monaco. However, he missed the Baku round due to a broken collarbone from a mountain biking accident.
He returned to racing quickly, even though his collarbone was still healing. He managed to get his first Formula 2 podium finish in Austria, coming in second place. He also finished second in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi. He ended his first F2 season in 10th place.
Success with DAMS (2018)
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In 2018, Albon joined the DAMS team for the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship. He started the season strong, winning his first F2 race from pole position in Baku. He also took two more pole positions in Spain and Monaco.
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He continued to perform well, winning races at Silverstone and the Hungaroring. He also won the feature race in Sochi. Despite some tough races and a stall in Abu Dhabi, he finished third in the drivers' championship. This was a great result, placing him behind future F1 drivers George Russell and Lando Norris.
Formula E Opportunity
Albon was signed to race in Formula E for the 2018–19 season with Nissan e.dams. However, he was released from this contract before the season began. This was because he had the chance to join a Formula One team.
Alex Albon's Formula One Career
Starting with Toro Rosso (2019)
On November 26, 2018, it was announced that Alex Albon would join Scuderia Toro Rosso for the 2019 Formula One season. This meant he rejoined the Red Bull family, seven years after leaving their junior program. He became the second Thai driver ever to compete in Formula One.
Albon made his F1 debut at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix. He scored his first points in the next race in Bahrain. After a big crash in practice for the 2019 Chinese Grand Prix, he had to start from the pit lane but still managed to finish tenth, earning him the "Driver Of The Day" award. He continued to show promise, reaching the final qualifying session (Q3) for the first time in Monaco.
His best qualifying result with Toro Rosso was ninth place at the 2019 British Grand Prix. At the 2019 German Grand Prix, he finished sixth, showing great skill in changing weather conditions. By this point, he had scored 16 points for Toro Rosso.
Moving to Red Bull (2019–2021)
2019 Season
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After the 2019 Hungarian Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing announced that Albon would move up to their main team. He would replace Pierre Gasly and race alongside Max Verstappen. This was a big step for him.
In his first race for Red Bull at the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix, he started 17th but climbed to finish fifth. He continued to impress with strong finishes, including fourth place at the 2019 Japanese Grand Prix, his best result yet. He finished fifth in both the Mexican and United States Grands Prix. At the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, he was in second place but was hit by Lewis Hamilton, dropping him down the order.
Albon finished his first Formula One season in eighth place in the World Drivers' Championship, scoring 92 points. He was also given the "Rookie of the Year" award.
2020 Season
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Albon continued to race for Red Bull in 2020. At the first race in Austria, he was in a good position but had contact with Lewis Hamilton, which led to his retirement. He finished fourth at the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix and fifth in Hungary.
A major highlight came at the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix, where Albon achieved his first-ever Formula One podium finish by coming in third. This made him the first Thai driver to reach the podium in F1. He earned another podium at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, finishing third again. This made him the first Asian driver to score more than one podium.
He finished the 2020 season in seventh place in the World Drivers' Championship with 105 points. For 2021, Albon became a test and reserve driver for Red Bull, hoping to return to a full-time race seat. He also competed in the DTM series that year.
Joining Williams (2022–Present)
2022 Season
Alex Albon returned to Formula One in 2022, joining the Williams team. He partnered his former Formula 2 teammate Nicholas Latifi. Red Bull kept an option to bring him back for 2023, but he stayed with Williams.
In his first race for Williams in Bahrain, he finished 13th. He scored his first point for Williams at the 2022 Australian Grand Prix by finishing tenth, even though he started from last place. He also scored points at the 2022 Miami Grand Prix, finishing ninth. At the 2022 British Grand Prix, he was involved in a crash but was not seriously injured.
He had a strong qualifying performance at the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix, starting sixth and finishing tenth to score another point. Albon had to miss the 2022 Italian Grand Prix due to appendicitis. After surgery, he had a brief respiratory issue but recovered well. He finished the season 19th in the championship with 4 points.
2023 Season
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Williams kept Albon for the 2023 season with a multi-year contract. He partnered Logan Sargeant. This new contract meant his ties with Red Bull officially ended. He started the season by scoring a point in Bahrain.
He had a great performance at the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix, finishing seventh. This was his best result with Williams so far. He received praise for holding off faster cars. He continued to qualify well, reaching the top ten in several races, including the 2023 British Grand Prix where he finished eighth. He matched his career-best qualifying position of fourth at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix and finished eighth in the race. He also scored points in Italy, Qatar, United States, and Mexico City.
Albon finished the 2023 season 13th in the Drivers' Championship with 27 points. His strong performance helped Williams secure seventh place in the Constructors' Championship.
2024 Season
Albon continued with Williams alongside Logan Sargeant for the 2024 season. He faced challenges early in the season, including a crash in practice at the 2024 Australian Grand Prix that led to his teammate giving up his car for Albon to race.
On May 15, Williams confirmed that Albon had signed a new multi-year contract to stay with the team. He scored his first points of the season at the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix, finishing ninth. He also scored points at the 2024 British Grand Prix and the 2024 Italian Grand Prix. At the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, he finished seventh, which helped Williams move ahead of Alpine in the team standings.
Albon finished the 2024 season 16th in the Drivers' Championship with 12 points.
2025 Season
For the 2025 Formula One season, Alex Albon is partnered by Carlos Sainz Jr. at Williams. He started the season well, finishing fifth at the rain-affected 2025 Australian Grand Prix. He then finished seventh at the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix and ninth in Japan. He continued to score points with a ninth-place finish at the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
DTM Career
In 2021, while also being a reserve driver for Red Bull, Alex Albon competed in the DTM series. He drove a Ferrari car for the AF Corse team.
On August 22, 2021, Albon 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 Career Summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
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| 2012 | Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 | EPIC Racing | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38th |
| Formula Renault 2.0 Alps | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 16th | ||
| 2013 | Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 | KTR | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 16th |
| Formula Renault 2.0 NEC | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 61 | 22nd | ||
| 2014 | Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 | KTR | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 117 | 3rd |
| Formula Renault 2.0 NEC | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 80 | 17th | ||
| 2015 | FIA Formula 3 European Championship | Signature | 33 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 187 | 7th |
| Macau Grand Prix | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 13th | ||
| 2016 | GP3 Series | ART Grand Prix | 18 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 177 | 2nd |
| Masters of Formula 3 | Hitech GP | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 5th | |
| 2017 | FIA Formula 2 Championship | ART Grand Prix | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 86 | 10th |
| 2018 | FIA Formula 2 Championship | DAMS | 24 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 212 | 3rd |
| 2019 | Formula One | Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 92 | 8th |
| Aston Martin Red Bull Racing | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2020 | Formula One | Aston Martin Red Bull Racing | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 105 | 7th |
| 2021 | Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters | AlphaTauri AF Corse | 14 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 130 | 6th |
| Formula One | Red Bull Racing Honda | Test/Reserve driver | |||||||
| Scuderia AlphaTauri | |||||||||
| 2022 | Formula One | Williams Racing | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 19th |
| 2023 | Formula One | Williams Racing | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 13th |
| 2024 | Formula One | Williams Racing | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 16th |
| 2025 | Formula One | Atlassian Williams Racing | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20* | 8th* |
* Season still in progress.
Images for kids
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Albon at the Hockenheimring in 2021
See also
In Spanish: Alex Albon para niños
