(Motorsport-Total.com) – Alexander Albon is looking for a new race engineer. Actually, the solution had already been found with Tom Hart, but the Brit was still persuaded by Red Bull to stay, where he is supposed to succeed Gianpiero Lambiase, who will move to McLaren in 2028.
Read more Formula 1 revenues plummet sharply: This is how the numbers can be explained
For Albon and his Williams team, this means they have to look for an alternative, because Hart was already firmly planned as the successor to James Urwin, who has so far been Albons race engineer and will take on a new role within the racing team.
“James, my current race engineer, will in future take on more of a role with us at the factory – and I believe he will be excellent at that,” says Albon. “For us, it’s now simply about finding someone to take over this process and continue James’s role as race engineer next year.”
“Of course, we have a few people in mind, but with every person we contacted, I was also personally involved,” says the Thai, who had also approved the Hart appointment.
“We kind of had a list of candidates on the table of who we wanted to bring in,” he says. Hart was originally on that list as well. “I thought: Yes, Tom is great. But we just don’t have Tom.”
Read more Why McLaren has not yet stopped development of its 2026 car
Interim reports: The best Formula 1 drivers at the summer break
Hart had already promised Williams, but has now decided against a move because he will stay at Red Bull to succeed Gianpiero Lambiase. Hart was Max Verstappen’s performance engineer for many years and received a senior position in 2026, in which he oversees both cars.
After Lambiase’s departure, he is now supposed to become Verstappen’s race engineer. However, if the Dutchman decides to move, he would also look after his successor.
Asked if he is disappointed that his designated new race engineer is now not coming after all, Albon waves it off: “No. I mean, of course we tried for Tom. I think Tom is a great guy, a fantastic engineer. But we also have other plans in mind.”
Read more The world champions from the birth years of the current Formula 1 drivers