Current Red Bull reserve Albon is looking to seꦫal a full-t💮ime return to the F1 grid next year with both Williams and Alfa Romeo interested in signing the Anglo-Thai racer.

Albon’s preference is to join Williams but over the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, Toto Wolff said Mercedes would only be happy to work with Albon a💟t its customer team if he was "fre𓄧e" from his Red Bull contract. 

Red Bull team principal Horner described Wolff’s demand as “slightly unusual” and ho⛦pes the situation can be resolved without🍒 the need to release Albon.

“It’s obviously a huge ℱinfluence but I’m assured that Williams chooses the drivers that they wish to drive in the car and they don’t have restrictions,” he added.

Asked why Red Bull would have to split from Albon if that was the case, Horner said: “Maybꦐe🔜 we don’t.

“We’ve had very productive discussions with Willi🅰ams and with Alfa, and ꧂I expect the situation to hopefully be resolved in the next week or so.”

Horner stressed Red Bull will do everything in its po🔯wer to ensure Albon can 🌼seal a return to the F1 grid for next year.

“We obviously want to see Alex racing next year,” he said. “We rate him h꧂ighly and I think we’re close to finding a solution, and of course it’s not just Williams that are showing interest in him.

“So hopefully Alex will be back on the grid next year. Behind the scenes, we’re doing everything we can to 𒅌mak𓆏e sure that happens.”

Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto also weighed in on Wolff’s stance and believes it is “wrong” for manufacturers to try and dictate who drives for their customer te🌠ams.

“I believe that whatever is happening between a team and a driver that’🐼s betw🎃een the team and a driver and as manufacturers, we should not influence,” he said. “I think that would be wrong.

“If a driver has got an o🎐pportunity to drive he should simply have the opportunity to drive, wherever it is coming from and if the team is happy to give him a seat, they need to give him a seat. That’💝s it.”

And Binotto dismissed the 🍌suggestion that Ferrari has held a cont💜rolling influence over one of the seats at Alfa Romeo, the team its junior Antonio Giovinazzi has raced for since 2019.

“Ferrari have never a word🌳 on the ‘Ferrari seat’ on Alfa,” he said. “It was a contact between Alfa Romeo, so it was a right of the sponsor Alfa Romeo on the Sauber car.”