FORMULA ONE star Alex Albon has aimed a cheeky dig at Oscar Piastri and Alpine as he announced a new deal with Williams Racing.
Albon, 26, had his place for the 2023 season confirmed in an announcement from Williams earlier today.
Alex Albon, right, sits with team-mate Nicholas Latifi on a tour of Canada’s F1 track
Albon has managed to squeeze three points out of his Williams car so far this year
Oscar Piastri sent shockwaves through F1 by denying his seat with Alpine next season
Fernando Alonso, left, was announced as the replacement for Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin
However, the London-born driver – who represents Thailand due to his mother’s nationality – aimed a cheeky dig at rivals Alpine and reserve driver Piastri after a botched announcement on Tuesday.
Alpine, formerly known as Renault, announced they were promoting F2 champion Piastri to an F1 seat next season.
But the Australian later hit back on Twitter and said he would NOT be racing for the team next season in a cascade of embarrassing moments for Alpine and Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer.
Albon’s tweet, which coincided with Williams’ announcement, said: “I understand that, with my agreement, Williams Racing have put out a press release this afternoon that I am driving for them next year.
“This is right and I have signed a contract with Williams for 2023. I will be driving for Williams next year.”
This sequence of events was kickstarted when four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement from F1 at the end of the season.
Aston Martin then moved to fill their vacant seat with two-time World Champion Fernardo Alonso, despite Alpine apparently being unaware of this agreement until the press release.
In response, Alpine then announced Piastri as their replacement before his denial of an agreement sent the world of F1 into a frenzy.
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Albon’s jibe is the latest instalment in the saga, which looks set to take on further developments due to McLaren’s reported interest in replacing Daniel Ricciardo with his junior compatriot.
He has secured two points finishes for Williams this season and scored two-podium finishes after promotion to Red Bull from affiliate team Toro Rosso, now known as AlphaTauri, in 2019.
However, the two podiums he scored were not deemed to be good enough and he was replaced by Sergio Perez last year, who proved to be a pivotal third-party as Max Verstappen dramatically beat Lewis Hamilton on the line to become the World Champion last year.
Albon then sat out a year of the sport as a reserve driver at Red Bull before Williams offered him a lifeline.
On the deal, Williams team principal Jost Capito said: “Alex is a tremendous driver and valued member of Williams Racing, so we’re thrilled to be able to confirm we will be working with him on a long-term basis.
“Alex brings a great blend of skill and insightful learnings that will help bring the team greater success in the future.
“He’s a fierce competitor, has proved a popular and loyal team member and we are delighted that he will provide a stable base for us to continue to develop in this new F1 car era.”
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