Thai
Alexander Albon is the British-born Thai racer whose two seasons in the FIA Formula 2 Championship turned a stalled junior career into one of the most unlikely Formula 1 promotions of the modern era.
Formula 2
Albon joined the inaugural 2017 Formula 2 season with ART Grand Prix, stepping up after years in GP3, where he had finished runner-up in 2016. His rookie F2 campaign was solid rather than spectacular: he took a pole position and two podiums and ended tenth in the standings, a run interrupted when he broke his collarbone in a mountain-biking accident and missed the Baku round. A podium at the Red Bull Ring and a second place in the Abu Dhabi finale hinted at more to come.
For 2018 Albon initially had no seat, eventually signing with DAMS on a race-by-race basis. He repaid the gamble emphatically. His maiden win came in the Baku feature race, after which DAMS handed him a full-season contract around the Monaco weekend. Further victories at Silverstone, the Hungaroring and Sochi made him a genuine title contender; he went to the final round second in the points behind George Russell and finished the year third overall with four wins.
After F2
That form, combined with strong showings in Formula E testing, earned Albon a Toro Rosso F1 seat for 2019 and, mid-season, a shock promotion to Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen. After being dropped he rebuilt himself at Williams, where he became the team's clear lead driver. His F2 years remain the proof of concept: a driver who, given competitive machinery, could win consistently against a strong field.