Albon not ruling out full-time IndyCar switch

(GMM) Alex Albon has opened the door to IndyCar, after trying out a cockpit for size during a visit with Romain Grosjean at Indianapolis last weekend.

Red Bull’s F1 reserve driver is racing in the German tin-top series DTM this year, but he is pushing for a return to Formula 1.

However, the official IndyCar website reveals that Albon was seen ‘walking around the paddock’ at Indianapolis whilst ‘talking to team owners’.

“I want to see what’s out there,” Albon confirmed.

“My main goal is to be in F1, but there’s never a 100 percent certainty on that, so you got to have plan B and C to see what else is out there.”

The British-born Thai driver, 25, admitted he is giving IndyCar a closer look partly as a result of seeing that former F1 rival Grosjean is thriving there.

“Seeing Romain, seeing what he’s doing, it’s been really interesting to see,” he said.

“I just wanted to see what he thinks about it. Is he happy? Of course he’s happy. How was that transition for him, how did he feel in IndyCar straight away? He looks very comfortable here.”

Therefore, Albon is not ruling out a full-time switch to IndyCar for 2022 – but he also understands the gravity of turning his back on Formula 1.

“It’s been really interesting to see,” he said of his Indianapolis visit.

“Honestly, it’s more just hard to say if it’s something I would want to be doing. I’m seeing a few teams out there right now. I want to chat with them and see what’s out there so I can decide what I am going to do.

“Let’s just say if the right opportunity is there, or let’s say the lack of opportunity is there in F1, and there’s an opportunity here that’s a good opportunity with a good team, and if in these few days I think it’s something I would enjoy, obviously then the odds go up.”