Alex Albon admitted he was pleased to be linked with a possible move to Ferrari as his second Formula 1 stint goes from strength to strength.
The British Thai racer was very quickly thrust into one of the top seats on the grid. He had only 12 races of F1 experience under his belt with Toro Rosso when he was called up by Red Bull to replace the struggling Pierre Gasly.
He held that seat for the remainder of the 2019 campaign and completed the full 2020 season. But the two podiums he secured on the way to seventh in the standings was not enough to keep his place and he was switched out for Sergio Perez.
Albon spent 2021 on the sidelines before Red Bull helped to arrange a race seat for him at Williams. And he was so impressive in his comeback that he was offered a multi-year extension and cut all ties with the Red Bull family.
He continues to impress and has scored all 11 of the team's points so far this season, placing him 13th in the drivers' standings. And those eye-catching results have seen him linked with a Ferrari move in recent weeks.
The Scuderia has Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz on the books until at least the end of next season. There is currently no suggestion that Ferrari are looking to make any changes, but contract talks with both are on hold while the team addresses more pressing problems, such as their car performance and in-race strategy calls.
Reports from Italy have suggested that, if one of Leclerc or Sainz were to leave after next season, then Albon would be one of Ferrari's top choices of replacement. Albon brushed aside such suggestions but admitted he was a little flattered by the links.
History beckons for Red Bull this weekend as victory for Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez will see them eclipse McLaren's 35-year record of 11 wins in a row. Watch the all the action from the Grand Prix itself, including practice and qualifiying, exclusively live on Sky Sports.
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Sky SportsAsked if he liked to hear such rumours, he said: "Yes, I would say so. Good rumours are always nice. I think it just underscores that the year has been going well so far. I'm just happy to hear those things. Of course, it's just rumours, but I'm not complaining."
Meanwhile, Sainz agrees with his boss Frederic Vasseur that the team has bigger priorities right now than contract renewals and suggested he won't be signing anything in terms of a renewal before the end of this season. "With so many back-to-back races, it is difficult," said the Spaniard.
"I am not going to lie, during the three-week break in August I will start thinking a bit about what I would be happy with, and then the winter break – which is what I said in an interview a while ago – will be the time to start figuring out where I will be racing in 2025.
"There are much bigger priorities, much more important things we need to sort out in the short term and that is my priority too, to be competitive with Ferrari not only this year but also next year – I still have a contract in place – and get next year's car right and getting better than where we are now."