Stacked up well against rivals…

A talented karter, Albon won world and European titles in 2010, and was succeeded as champion by two familiar faces. Charles Leclerc won the same KF3 world crown a year later, while George Russell took the 2011 European title.

Albon’s progression from karting to single-seater competition saw him dabble in various championships from 2012-2015, taking part in Formula Renault 2.0 and European Formula 3, before announcing himself in GP3 in 2016, a year which saw him finish as runner-up behind ART Grand Prix team mate Leclerc.

Like Leclerc, he made the obvious step up to take part in Formula 2’s inaugural season in 2017, but while the newly-minted Ferrari driver romped to a title triumph, Albon finished down in 10th.

This season, however, was a different story – and driving for DAMS, he battled at the top of the field with Russell and Lando Norris. Going into the final race of this year’s F2 campaign, Albon was one of just two drivers in title contention, having secured four victories prior to Abu Dhabi. Russell, however, was too strong, and claimed the top honours with Albon ultimately finishing the standings behind Norris in third.

He won’t be too concerned, though, having secured a surprise seat on the F1 grid next year – and the trio will renew their rivalry, with Albon’s Toro Rosso switch meaning that for the first time since 2010, the top three drivers in the category will all graduate straight from F2 to Formula 1.