Martin Brundle Told to Explain Himself for Picking Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon as 3rd Best Driver Pairing

Vidit Dhawan | 08/05/2025
2nd May 2025; Miami International Autodrome, Miami, Florida, USA; Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix 2025

After a multi-team pursuit for Carlos Sainz’s signature in 2024, the Spaniard picked Williams — a move that raised quite a few eyebrows in the F1 paddock. James Vowles couldn’t believe he had just signed a four-time Grand Prix winner to pair with Alex Albon, already an established star at the team.

The pairing of Albon and Sainz was crafted by Vowles with the future in mind. Williams, under the British boss, wants to climb back to the top. They want to win races and fight for championships. By securing two top-tier drivers, they’ve laid the groundwork to do just that.

The Williams duo has also had a strong start to the year. While Sainz began slowly, scoring just once in the opening four races, he has since picked up six points in the last two. Albon, meanwhile, has 30 points and sits P8 in the Drivers’ Championship, with their combined efforts placing Williams fifth in the Constructors’ standings.

It’s happy days once again for the Grove-based squad — prompting former F1 driver turned pundit Martin Brundle to label Albon and Sainz as the third-best pairing on the grid. “They’re moving towards the front of the grid, and it’s really impressive,” he said in a Sky Sports segment.

However, fellow presenter Ted Kravitz wasn’t going to let Brundle get away with simply naming the Williams duo as the third-best driver pairing. He wanted to confirm who Brundle’s top two picks were.

Kravitz asked Brundle to confirm if he ranked McLaren—with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri—as the best pairing, and Ferrari—with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc—as the second-best. Brundle said yes, then asked Kravitz about his thoughts.

Kravitz, however, wasn’t looking to debate. “I just wanted to be clear,” he said.

Few would argue with Brundle’s picks for the top three driver pairings. Apart from Albon, all the others have multiple race wins — with Hamilton, of course, being the standout as a seven-time World Champion.

Though Albon has secured just two podiums in his five years in F1, he has shown glimpses of the ability to fight at the front, provided he has the right car.

As for McLaren, they certainly appear to have the strongest driver lineup. Piastri and Norris have won five of the opening six races this season and currently sit first and second in the Drivers’ Championship, respectively.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
Alex Albon carlos sainz Martin Brundle

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Vidit Dhawan

Vidit Dhawan, a Formula 1 Editor at The SportsRush, is intrinsically connected with everything around the sport — from the engine roar, the cacophony on the grandstands to the action. He fell in love with F1 during the inaugural Indian GP in 2011. After more than a decade of deep engagement with the sport, Vidit insists he will remain a lifelong fan of Fernando Alonso, and sees the future of F1 in Charles Leclerc. A sports fanatic from childhood, he discovered his passion for writing while pursuing a bachelor's degree in international and global studies. Vidit has written over 1,700 articles, ranging from news reports to opinions. He thrives covering live action, and loves to dig into the contrasting personalities in the F1 bandwagon and narrate their journey in life as well as the sport. Vidit also follows tennis and football, enjoys playing as well as coaching chess.

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