Carlos Sainz confirmed his F1 future with Williams for the 2025 season. Sainz will be moving away from Charles Leclerc as his teammate and joining Alex Albon. Many were concerned about Sainz and Leclerc’s bromance ending. Nonetheless, Albon has come out to explain his bond with the Spaniard and how the two are good friends.
“It’s great! You know, we flew out together just now. We spoke about everything, about contracts, of course, as well”, said Albon when asked about his relationship with Sainz by DAZN. He added, “Obviously, he has a lot of questions to ask me about Williams. I give it to him honestly of where I see the team.”
[my relationship with Carlos] is great! You know, we flew out together just now. We spoke about everything, about contracts, of course, as well. Obviously, he has a lot of questions to ask me about Williams. I give it to him honestly of where I see the team.
— ana (@sextappen) August 1, 2024
Albon explained, “Of course, we’re competitors on the track but outside of the circuit or even in the paddock, we’re pretty close”.
If not anything, Sainz and Albon can bond over the fact that both of them had their appendix removed. But jokes aside, Sainz and Albon’s partnership is arguably going to be one of the strongest driver pairings on the grid. Sainz has shown his class in the last two years stealing wins off Max Verstappen, whereas Albon has been delivering in an underperforming Williams.
James Vowles spoke highly of the #55 driver and publicly committed to having him as his #1 target. On the other hand, Vowles trusted Albon and gave the Thai driver a multi-year extension earlier this year. With the Williams boss wanting to lead the team back where it belongs, a driver pairing that can deliver is crucial.
Albon reveals why Sainz chose Williams over Audi and Alpine
Vowles recruited multiple highly reputed engineers from the top teams earlier this year. With Dorilton Capital backing up the finances and infrastructure improvement, Vowles is keen to get Williams back towards the front of the grid.
Sainz saw this vision of Vowles and committed to the Williams project. The Spaniard wants to be a part of the journey and lead Williams back to glory. Albon explained that Sainz is honest with the expectations and is critical of areas where the Grove team needs to improve.
According to Mirror Sport, Albon said, “He’s honest. He sees the journey and knows it’s not going to be long. When he says something isn’t great, he has a reason and he has a fix, which is the most important… I’m committed and I’m excited because I do believe in the journey.”
The 2026 regulations will help Williams shake off the performance disadvantage they currently have at the moment. With the Mercedes engine deal being in place for the 2026 regulations, Williams is in a good spot to make strides in their performance.
