2025 sees Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz as teammates at Williams Racing F1, one of the strongest line-ups in the sport this year.
The Spaniard left Ferrari at the end of 2024 as the Scuderia opted to sign Lewis Hamilton on a multi-year deal. Meanwhile the Thai driver starts his fourth season at Williams.
Albon already seeing the influence of Sainz at Williams F1
In 2024, Carlos Sainz had a very strong year, winning two races. A supreme performance at the Mexico City GP as he dominated qualifying and the race showed how elite he can be. His win in Melbourne coming back from an appendix removal was equally as good. The qualifying gap to Leclerc was the smallest between them last year, too.
Williams Racing F1 had a very tough season, only finishing P9 in the Constructors’ Championship as various issues hampered them throughout the campaign. The driver from Thailand was only P16 in the Drivers’ Championship.
Asked if Carlos Sainz is already helping Williams regarding good technical feedback, Alex Albon says it is noticeable.
“Yes, I have. I have, yes [noticed it].
“I think that he’s a bit of a, you could call it like a thinking driver. I would put myself in the same box in that sense.
“And I think it’s good. It’s a good base to work from. I think we work well with each other.
“Obviously, we haven’t driven that much. We did a little short test in Barcelona. But even the work we do in the simulator, it’s all going in the same direction.
“And he’s clearly bringing a lot of information from Ferrari, different ways of working and different ways to optimise their package. Obviously, it’s different to Williams.
“But it’s very interesting, not just for the team, but for myself as well.”
Is Albon feeling the pressure of Sainz as his Williams F1 teammate?
Since his return to the sport in 2022, Albon has comfortably beaten both Nicholas Latifi and Logan Sargeant in the same cars. However, when the Floridian was dropped by Williams post-Zandvoort, Franco Colapinto pushed him extremely hard at times.
In 2025, Alex Albon faces 4-time race winner Carlos Sainz. It will be his biggest challenge since taking on Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing in the second part of 2019, and the whole of 2020.
The Thai does not see it as pressure. He views it as an opportunity to impress the paddock by taking one of F1’s most in-form drivers.
“No, if I’m honest, no.
“I feel like if maybe I look at it differently to other people, but I see it as the better my teammate, I can go up against someone who’s got a big reputation, who’s just come from a very strong year.
“I think I said it before, but possibly his [Sainz’s] best year in Formula One last year.
“I think that’s a great challenge to have, but also a positive outlook for me. I believe in myself. And yeah, I’m happy to go up against anyone.”
