Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz’s ‘Romantic’ Gift for James Vowles Becomes a Permanent Fixture on His Desk

As fierce as the competition in F1 is, there’s always time for pranks off the track for those involved in it. The best time to do that? Pre-season, when the pressure is still not as high. Before this year’s season-opener in Australia, Williams’ Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz decided to do just that.

Albon and Sainz gave team principal James Vowles a picture of the two of them traveling to the UK for the F1 75 event, which showcased the live unveiling of all 10 cars. Their reason? A bit cheeky.

“They thought it would be a lovely ‘romantic’ present to give me, to remind me of how important they are in my life,” Vowles explained on the F1 Explains podcast with host Christian Hewgill.

That said, Sainz and Albon had little idea about the new permanent address of their gift to the boss.

They gave the picture to Vowles as a prank. But the Briton loved it so much that he decided to display it on his work desk.

“What happens with these things and it is always the case, is it starts of as a joke, but I will guarantee you, come find me in Abu Dhabi and that will still be on my desk at that stage,” he added.

This just goes to show how unique Vowles’ leadership style is, and how much he values camaraderie and openness within the team. He places sentimental value on gestures and moments—something that perhaps some of the more old-school bosses on the grid might overlook.

That said, just as the podcast started to get a bit too emotional, Albon suddenly popped in—just to use the toilet!

Vowles reveals Albon’s toilet habit

The podcast with Hewgill was recorded in Vowles’ office at Suzuka. While it was underway, Albon attempted to sneak in.

Vowles—likely accustomed to seeing both Albon and Sainz pop in before sessions to use his office toilet—was the first to notice and called out, “You might as well come in, Alex.”

Albon then explained the interruption, saying, “I use James’ office for his toilet before sessions, so here I am.”

That is when Vowles felt the need to step in and make something clear. “To be really clear, you don’t use my office, you use the toilet in my office”, Vowles said.

The conversation ended with Albon telling everyone in the room that he would see them in about 10 minutes. Everyone, except Vowles—who was visibly embarrassed by his driver’s remark—burst into laughter.

Truly, Williams appears to be a fun place to work at under Vowles.