Alexander Albon

You’ll find few drivers as laidback, cheery and thoughtful as Alexander Albon, but that’s largely down to the astonishing development that his career has taken in the past two years.

The British-born Thai racer started 2018 without a race seat in F2, eventually signing on with DAMS for one round, due to issues with his race budget – this deal was swiftly turned into a season long contract due to his ability, and dedicated way of working.

From here, he was able to showcase his talent, delivering victory in the Feature Race at Baku, and second place in the Sprint Race at Barcelona. The Thai racer competed with George Russell and Lando Norris for the title throughout the season, but unlike his now fellow F1 graduates, Albon didn’t have the backing of an F1 team, having been dropped from the Red Bull Driver Academy programme back in 2012.

Albon took a further three wins and six podiums throughout 2018, only missing out on the title in the final round of the season, as Russell clinched the crown and Norris nabbed second. With the pair already confirmed to make the step up to F1, Albon signed a deal to race for DAMS in Formula E, only for Red Bull sister team Toro Rosso to offer him a drive at the end of the campaign.

Five points’ finishes with the Italian squad earned him the most remarkable of turnarounds, as Red Bull opted to promote him as the replacement for Pierre Gasly. Albon finished inside the top six in eight of the remaining nine races and will retain his place at Red Bull for 2020.