In the wake of rising star George Russell leaving the team, Williams Racing has announced its 2022 driver pairing. Returning to the grid after a year away is Alex Albon, who will be partnering with Nicholas Latifi.

At the end of 2020, Albon was replaced in Red Bull Racing by Sergio Perez and was relegated to the role of reserve and development driver. Albon, who started out in F1 at Red Bull’s junior team, Toro Rosso, was promoted to the senior team midway through the 2019 season. However, throughout 2020 he seemed to struggle to get to grips with the new car.

In the run-up to the announcement, Albon had become a firm favorite for the Williams seat. However, as the 25-year-old was contracted to Red Bull, Williams’ relationship with Mercedes had cast doubt on the signing. At the Dutch Grand Prix, Toto Wolff, Mercedes-AMG team principal, was on record stating that Red Bull would have to release the Thai driver to stand a chance of securing a Williams drive. Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing’s boss, fired back, accusing Mercedes of blocking a move for Albon.

Read: George Russell Joins Lewis Hamilton From 2022 Onwards In Long-Term Mercedes-AMG F1 Deal

In the end, it all worked out for Albon, who will return in Formula 1. However, according to F1.com, Red Bull will maintain a relationship with their former driver, which “includes future options.”

Commenting on the signing, Albon said: “When you take a year out of F1 it’s never certain you will make a return so I’m extremely thankful to Red Bull and Williams for believing in me and helping me on my journey back to the grid.”

Meanwhile, Latifi, who has been with the Williams team for four years and racing for three, is also excited to be sticking with the British team for at least another year: “The aim is to continue making little improvements so we can all take advantage of the opportunity we have next year. I’m super excited to work with next year’s car and it’s like a fresh start for everybody. I feel privileged to be part of that change.”