Nissan "very unhappy" about Toro Rosso's Albon bid
The Nissan e.dams Formula E squad is "very unhappy" at the situation surrounding Alexander Albon's possible 2019 Formula 1 move to Toro Rosso, according to team principal Jean-Paul Driot.
Nissan had signed 2018 Formula 2 title contender Albon, who races for e.dams' DAMS arm in the F1 support series, to a three-year FE contract in July, placing him alongside Sebastien Buemi for the 2018/19 season.
But it emerged at the start of FE's pre-season test at Valencia that Albon was closing on a Toro Rosso seat and he did not drive in Spain, costing Nissan two days of running before Oliver Rowland was brought in for the final two sessions.
"It came out of the blue," Driot told Motorsport.com
"We are very much frustrated within DAMS and Nissan e.dams because as far as DAMS is concerned and Formula 2 is concerned, we have done a lot in order to help Alexander Albon race, financially speaking.
"We gave him a good car - because the year before the team he was with [ART Grand Prix], he didn't really perform - and with us he has demonstrated that he is very quick, which I never doubted.
"We took him for a three-year contract [in FE] and suddenly out of the blue - because we helped him a lot to brush and to shine his image - Toro Rosso came with Dr [Helmut] Marko to say that he wanted to have Albon in a car.
"When you ask a blind man if he wants to see, you know the answer. When he talked about Formula 1 to a driver who was always dreaming to do so, you know the answer as well.
"So we are negotiating with Toro Rosso, Nissan have top management who were not really happy, as you can imagine.
"[They are] very unhappy because we had signed him for three years. But we are trying to find a solution."
Driot said that situation remains unresolved and that negotiations regarding Albon's future are continuing.
"We are trying to find a solution because when you have a driver who doesn't want to drive any more, what do you do? But we have a contract and that is clear," he explained.
"Nothing is done at the moment, and this is why we put Oliver Rowland in the car - as a kind of third driver - and we will see in the coming two-three weeks how it develops.
"We are discussing with Toro Rosso in order to see how we can find the best solution for everyone."
Share Or Save This Story
Who is Kimi Antonelli, F1 sprint polesitter at just 18?
Why Bottas has the edge over Perez in 2026 F1 return race
What if Red Bull solved its second-car problem with a paint job?
Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz reveal F1 boys' trip plans
Williams’ long-awaited F1 upgrade is delivering in Baku – but was Q3 an “overachievement”?
How Fernando Alonso scored ninth at Zandvoort - and how Alex Albon lost a similar payday
F1 Singapore GP live commentary and updates: Max Verstappen on pole
DTM Hockenheim: Porsche takes pole as Engel challenges Preining
George Russell handed another 20-place penalty before the Singapore Grand Prix
Marco Bezzecchi with conflicting feelings: Indonesian GP feels ‘more like a loss than a win’
What we learned from the 2026 F1 Singapore GP sprint and qualifying
How Honda plans a return to being an F1 powerhouse
Why Red Bull's 'crazy' power unit success matters so much for F1
No denying it now – the one reason why F1’s ‘horrible’ start in Malaysia could be a good thing
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments