The month of February was exciting for both NFL and F1 fans. It began with Super Bowl LIX, where the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, on a night when rapper Kendrick Lamar stole the show with his halftime performance.
Lamar’s iconic walk on stage captivated both the sporting and entertainment worlds, and there was even a chance of it making its way into F1.
Just 10 days later, at F1’s grand F175 livery launch event celebrating the sport’s 75th anniversary, Williams’ Alex Albon had planned to recreate Lamar’s Super Bowl moment alongside his new teammate Carlos Sainz.
In an interview with Cosmopolitan, the Thai-British driver revealed that the act was intended as an ode to Lamar’s performance.
The host of Albon’s interview described him as “chronically online,” suggesting he had likely seen ‘The Walk’ even if he didn’t follow the NFL or the Super Bowl. “What’s taking up your For You page right now?” she asked on the red carpet.
“Kendrick Lamar, ‘The Walk.’ Carlos and I have been thinking about doing the walk on stage… But we’re not good enough,” Albon admitted.
imagine if they actually did the kendrick lamar walk, that would be so cool pic.twitter.com/Yw5weUSCTQ
— vic❄️ (@vicreadz) February 19, 2025
Sadly, any F1 and Lamar fans in attendance went home disappointed, as Sainz and Albon revealed the FW47 without the kind of pizzazz Lamar brought to the stage in New Orleans. But it got the job done.
Entertaining audiences may not be the new Williams duo’s strongest suit, as they proved that filmmaking isn’t their forte either.
Focus to shift from entertainment to sport
Williams shared a behind-the-scenes video on YouTube, showcasing the making of their trailer for the upcoming season—with Albon and Sainz in charge of directing. What followed was a series of out-of-focus shots and hilariously questionable instructions, resulting in a final product that was, objectively, a disaster.
While the lighthearted approach may have been intended to make the duo more relatable to fans, the team will now want them to shift focus to the real task—delivering on track.
Team principal James Vowles secured his ambitious 2025 driver lineup by convincing Sainz to put his faith in the Grove-based project alongside Albon.
Sainz himself is determined to do whatever it takes to help Williams return to the top of F1. He cited his time at McLaren between 2019 and 2020, emphasizing how his feedback and development skills contributed to the team’s resurgence.
