Five F1 drivers who could be Alex Albon’s teammate in 2025
With Williams announcing Alex Albon’s new multi-year deal ahead of Imola this weekend, who could partner him in 2025?
Another domino in the F1 driver market fell as Williams announced Alex Albon will remain with the team for the foreseeable future having signed a multi-year deal.
The identity of Albon’s teammate for 2025 is still unknown though.
Logan Sargeant’s poor form means it’s likely Williams will be active in the driver market as they look to improve their line-up for next year.
Here’s who Williams could sign alongside Albon.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Andrea Kimi Antonelli is reportedly the favourite to drive alongside Albon should Mercedes feel he’s not ready.
Antonelli is Mercedes’ hot young prospect, effectively their own Max Verstappen of the future.
The Italian has been linked with Williams on a regular basis, even reports suggesting he could make his F1 debut this weekend.
The FIA reported that they had received a request to hand Antonelli a super licence early, before he turns 18, leading to speculation he could make his F1 debut at Imola.
That didn't materialise as he focuses on his FIA Formula 2 campaign.
Antonelli to Williams could be likely if Mercedes opt for Carlos Sainz, or Verstappen decides to jump ship from Red Bull.
Valtteri Bottas
A Williams reunion for Valtteri Bottas could be on the cards.
It appears that the Finn has little hope of remaining with Sauber/Audi with the team already signing Nico Hulkenberg.
Sauber have their eyes on Sainz as their number one choice, while the Alpine pair are also on Andreas Seidl’s wishlist.
Despite failing to score any points in 2024 so far, Bottas’ performances for Sauber have been impressive.
He’s unbeaten in qualifying against Zhou Guanyu and without some pit stop misfortune, he’d have likely scored in at least two races.
A Bottas-Albon combination would give Williams an incredibly potent midfield line-up - something they’ve not had since Bottas was last in the team alongside Felipe Massa in 2016.
Pierre Gasly
Another driver in the frame to join Williams potentially is Pierre Gasly.
According to Sky’s David Croft, Gasly has held talks with Williams over a potential switch.
Given Alpine’s poor performance in 2024, Gasly might fancy a new challenge.
While Alpine is a works outfit, they’ve failed to deliver on that potential over the years.
Gasly could be tempted into a switch to Grove, and given his age compared to Bottas, he could be a more appealing option for Williams.
Esteban Ocon
It’s a similar story for Esteban Ocon.
Alpine’s form leaves them vulnerable and Ocon is another major player on the driver market.
The Frenchman is also in the frame to join Audi should they fail to sign Sainz.
Ocon has been one of the unsung heroes in 2024, performing at an incredibly high level.
For Williams, he’d be a great coup, particularly as he seems to excel in underperforming machinery.
Zhou Guanyu
Like teammate Bottas, Zhou is likely to be on the market.
The Chinese driver is reportedly a front-runner to replace Kevin Magnussen at Haas, potentially alongside Oliver Bearman.
While Zhou lacks the ultimate outright pace, he's a steady performer on race day.
With financial backing behind him, he's a possible option, albeit an underwhelming one.
