With Carlos Sainz, Alexander Albon will receive experienced support at Williams for the first time – How this will change the dynamics in the team
With the signing of Carlos Sainz, who moves from Ferrari after four seasons, Alexander Albon will have a high-caliber and experienced teammate at Williams for the first time in the 2025 Formula One season.
In recent years, the main responsibility for car development and race performance often fell on Albon’s shoulders, as he had rather inexperienced teammates at his side in the form of Nicholas Latifi (2022) and Logan Sargeant (2023 and 2024). Now, the dynamic within the team is set to change significantly.
“It’s great to have Carlos on board, especially because of the experience he brings,” says Albon. He emphasizes that Sainz is not only a strong driver, but also brings valuable insights from his time at Ferrari. ‘Maybe there is more for us to learn from him than the other way around,’ explains the Williams driver.
A significant advantage for Albon arises from the new team constellation in terms of development work. In recent years, he often had to bear the brunt.
“In my last two years, when there was a relatively young rookie on the other side of the garage, development usually fell on my side, whether it was in the simulator or in the first free practice session or whatever,” says Albon.
With Sainz as his teammate, that should change. “When you have two drivers trying different things, you can develop as a team much faster,” he says. The changed role allocation could give him more freedom in the future and help Williams to make more efficient progress.
In the 2024 Formula 1 season, Williams performed inconsistently. While Albon scored with some solid results, his teammate Logan Sargeant had difficulties to perform consistently well.
The team was able to hold its own in the midfield, but fell short of expectations. The hope for 2025 is now to be able to fight for better placings with an experienced driver duo and further developed material.
