Albon set to race with a special logo in Texas to mark his 100th F1 race

Williams Racing's Thai driver Alex Albon will make his 100th Formula 1 race start at the United States GP this Sunday, and his FW46 will feature a special logo to celebrate the milestone in his F1 career.

The 28-year-old Thai driver will carry a special commemorative logo on his FW46 across the Austin race weekend as he reaches a century of F1 Grands Prix.

Now in his fifth F1 season, the London-born Thai driver has scored 240 career points and two podiums with a best result of third at the 2020 Tuscan and Bahrain GPs. He made his debut at the 2019 Australian GP for Scuderia Toro Rosso and was promoted to the senior Red Bull Racing squad just 12 races later.

Following a difficult second full season at Red Bull in 2020, he raced in German touring cars (DTM) in 2021 before joining Williams Racing for 2022.

Since joining Williams he has registered an impressive 43 points, which helped the Groved-based outfit to secure seventh place in the Constructors’ World Championship last year. In May he committed his long-term future to the British team, and will be joined by Ferrari's three-time F1 race winner Carlos Sainz next season.

As part of his centenary celebrations, Albon will meet fans and answer questions at Williams' Austin city centre Fan Zone, presented by Kraken, where a graffiti mural will honour his achievements. Fellow race driver Franco Colapinto, Team Principal James Vowles, 2009 F1 World Champion and Williams Racing ambassador Jenson Button, and the world’s most successful female racing driver – Williams Driver Academy adviser Jamie Chadwick – will also make appearances throughout the week.

At the Fan Zone, supporters will be able to get up close and personal with a Williams FW46 show car featuring a special fan-designed rear wing design which will also be raced at the Circuit of the Americas. More than 32,000 votes were cast in our second Kraken Rear Wing Takeover, selecting special Cosmos Collection digital fan alter egos designed by leading Web3 artist Candy Apple that pay homage to Williams’ Championship-winning heritage.

Commenting on his milestone at this weekend's Texan F1 round, Albon added: “Austin week and 100 Grands Prix: reaching such a milestone in the sport is a surreal feeling. The past five years have brought with them some of the hardest but most rewarding times, and I’m grateful for every minute I’ve been a part of this sport and community.

"It’s a great opportunity to pause and reflect on the progress I’ve made as a driver, and I’m excited to reach 100 more races. I’m honoured to celebrate here in Austin with Williams for another home race for the team and Dorilton. Hopefully, I can make it even more special by bringing home some points for the team.”

His team-mate Franco Colapinto commented: "It’s great to be close to home in the Americas for the upcoming triple header. This weekend will be my first time racing at COTA and first Sprint Event in F1. Only having one hour of Free Practice makes it a challenge to get up to speed before Sprint Qualifying but I’m determined to hit the ground running.

"During the break I’ve been putting in the work on the simulator back at Grove with the team to be prepared as possible. Finally, congrats to Alex for 100 races in the sport. It’s an amazing achievement that he can be proud of. Hopefully we can mark the moment with a positive result as a team this weekend.”

Williams team boss James Vowles noted: “Congratulations to Alex on reaching 100 races in Formula 1. Alex has shown over the previous 99 Grands Prix that he is one of the fastest, most determined and most dedicated drivers in the sport and we are delighted that he has committed his future to helping Williams move up the grid. I look forward to celebrating with him and our passionate fans in Austin this week.”