Carlos Sainz pushed Alex Albon and Williams forwar...

Williams driver Alex Albon says he took Carlos Sainz’s high-profile arrival at Williams as a optimistic because the pair pushes each one another and the crew ahead forward of Method 1’s 2026 overhaul.

After shedding his Ferrari seat to seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, Sainz out of the blue grew to become probably the most engaging free agent in the marketplace for 2025, with Williams beating Sauber and Alpine to the Spaniard’s signature. 

The signing of a confirmed grand prix winner was an enormous coup for Williams, which had beforehand fielded a collection of much less skilled drivers as Albon’s team-mate together with Logan Sargeant, Franco Colapinto and Nicholas Latifi. 

He additionally introduced an enormous check for incumbent Albon, who responded to the problem along with his most persistently robust season up to now, edging his team-mate in qualifying by 8-6 so far. That comes with the caveat that Sainz wanted time to gel along with his new equipment, which was very totally different to drive in contrast with the Ferrari he was accustomed to.

Albon’s 54 factors additionally places him properly forward of Sainz’s 16, though the latter has confronted the brunt of the reliability points and technique slip-ups so far, resulting in a number of missed alternatives so as to add to his tally. 

Sitting down with Motorsport.com to overview his 2025 season to this point, Albon mentioned: “I can not complain when it comes to my very own efficiency. I really feel like I have been capable of have strong weekends and there is by no means been a weekend that is gone disastrously. They’ve at all times had robust peaks, for instance. 

“I am fairly inner when it comes to how I validate my very own performances. I really feel like I’ve simply been getting on with my very own job and executing properly. The crew has given me an ideal automotive, and I have been capable of do these P5s and P6s; outcomes that stand out. 

“I truly assume my course of and the way in which I work has been an identical since my earlier years. There have been small enhancements, as there are yearly, however I am happy with myself to this point this yr. I believe it has been actually constant.” 

“I really feel like we have gone about our methods pretty quietly, not making errors, executing strong weekends, taking benefits of moments, whether or not it is with technique or circumstances, simply being very strong.” 

Having been Williams’ bedrock for years, Albon says he took the flurry of consideration on Sainz “as a optimistic” and located his new team-mate to be each an ideal benchmark for him on the observe, and for the squad as a complete off the observe because of Sainz’s high crew know-how and technical capacity. 

Alexander Albon, Williams

Picture by: Zak Mauger / LAT Photos through Getty Photos

“I believe it is inevitable,” Albon mentioned in regards to the media highlight shifting to his team-mate in the beginning of the yr. “It was a improbable signing for the crew to have somebody with Carlos’ expertise and his velocity. And clearly he grew to become a direct benchmark for me. 

“Then it is as much as the motive force to sort of go: ‘How do I take that power?’ You’ll be able to take it positively or negatively. I imagine I took it positively and I at all times needed Carlos to affix the crew. And on my aspect, he was an ideal benchmark, as a result of I generally felt virtually discredited with the team-mates I had earlier than. I believe Logan, Franco and Nicholas have at all times been robust drivers in moments of their profession at Williams, and it was good to sort of have somebody like Carlos, who got here off a powerful yr from Ferrari.” 

Below crew boss James Vowles, Williams’ long-term focus on 2026 and beyond additionally helped the Grove-based squad discover loads of low-hanging fruit to revamp its growth pathways, permitting it to begin the yr on the entrance foot for the primary time in years, and maintain fifth positioned within the constructors’ desk into the summer season break. 

“We clearly began the yr in a very good place,” mentioned Albon, who claimed three high 5 finishes as a part of his 9 grand prix factors finishes. “That P5 [in the Australia season opener] simply created that nice power, but additionally settled everybody. ‘Okay, we will do that, we’ve automotive.’ 

“We noticed in winter testing in Bahrain we had automotive, Melbourne cemented that. After which we may simply get into our season. And it isn’t been a season like others, the place we have needed to take dangers and do various things when it comes to technique to get factors. So long as we preserve it clear and we do job, do job in qualifying, we’ll be okay for the remainder of the yr.”