Alex Abon, after an underwhelming 2020 season with Red Bull, spent the following year on the sidelines before Williams came to his rescue, offering him a seat. While he is grateful for that second chance, he recently admitted that his time with the Grove-based team has not been easy.
Even though Red Bull was not a regular race-winning team in 2020, Albon was able to compete for points and podiums on an almost weekly basis. But Williams was nowhere close to the might shown by the Austrian stable.
“It’s not been easy, our journey at Williams,” Albon said in a recent interview. He was referring to the team’s struggles at the back of the grid, where it has lingered for more than a decade now. The 28-year-old had to be patient, waiting for a chance to compete for the top 10 again.
A century of race starts
Congratulations @alex_albon! #F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/1Pz0DQ1zws
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 20, 2024
“When I first joined, I felt like there was a lot of work to do, and we were quite far back,” Albon recalled. In his first season with Williams, he finished P19 scoring just four points — a truly difficult campaign for the Thai-British driver.
However, his performances could not be criticized by any means, as he kept overperforming on the sub-par Williams cars at his disposal. He also became the team’s lead driver, scoring the largest chunk of points, both in 2023 (22) and 2024 (12 so far).
With James Vowles in charge of Williams now, the team has laid out an ambitious plan to return to the top of the grid in the coming years. For that, they have roped in Carlos Sainz from Ferrari, who could challenge Albon’s position in the team.
The arrival of Carlos Sainz could shift the balance of power at Williams
Albon has carried Williams since 2022, but that could change with the arrival of Sainz in 2025. He is much more experienced, and with three race wins under his belt, would be adding a lot of value to the Williams squad.
So far, Albon has only gone up against Nicholas Latifi, Logan Sargeant, and Franco Colapinto — all of whom are inferior to Sainz’s proven qualities.
Alex Albon about speaking with Carlos:
“We will do for sure. We’ve had chats here and there, but nothing so absolute in terms of the areas we need to focus on and all this kind of thing. I dare tell you we are next-door neighbors.”#Carlos Sainz pic.twitter.com/LG5GA4HrvS
— Carlos Sainz News (@CSainzNews_) September 12, 2024
Currently, Albon’s teammate is Sargeant’s mid-season replacement Franco Colapinto, who, unlike the American, is giving him a much tougher fight. In just three races so far, the Argentine has scored four points, putting pressure on Albon.
Whether Sainz changes the balance of power or not remains to be seen. One thing is certain, however: Williams will have one of the best driver lineups in 2025 with Albon and Sainz.
