Alexander Albon is a contender for a return to Formula 1 with either Alfa Romeo or Williams next year, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner says.
The Anglo-Thai drove for Red Bull for a season and a half in 2019 and 2020 and is the team’s reserve driver in 2021.
“Alex deserves a seat in F1 next year,” Horner said. “Williams and Alfa have both expressed interest.
“We are keen to see him racing in F1 and hopefully that can be resolved over the next few days.”
Albon’s future is tied up in a busy F1 driver market this season.
Williams driver George Russell is widely expected to move to Mercedes in place of Valtteri Bottas.
Russell has said he knows where he will be driving next year and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says the decision has been made, but added: “Every step in the process needs to be done diligently and we are on the way to doing that but I don’t want to commit to a day because you guys would be hounding us even more.
“Our experiences are if a contract is not signed, it is not signed.”
Kimi Raikkonen’s retirement frees up at least one seat at Alfa Romeo, and Bottas is tipped to replace his fellow Finn.
Horner said: “George moving, Kimi retiring – that does open up opportunities.”
It is not clear whether Alfa Romeo will also change their second driver Antonio Giovinazzi, but Ferrari are said to have first call on who goes to that seat as part of their engine contact with Alfa Romeo.
Mercedes’ Formula E world champion Nick de Vries has been linked with a move up to F1, and has also been mentioned in connection with both Williams and Alfa Romeo.
Wolff said he wanted “to keep Nick in the [Mercedes] family” but added: “I wouldn’t block him from F1.”
