Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, on paper, form an exciting partnership on which a team could rely to fight at the front of the pack. But in 2025, that won’t be the case as Williams has decided to turn a blind eye to short-term success.
James Vowles, who aims to take Williams back to Championship contention, has decided to sacrifice the upcoming campaign in hopes of developing a winning car in 2026. “2025 will be sacrificed,” he said on the Beyond the Grid podcast last October.
Vowles cannot be blamed for making this call either. In 2026, regulation changes will bring all teams back to the drawing board. So, it won’t make a lot of sense for Williams to focus most of their energy on making small improvements for 2025. Instead, the best minds in Grove could work on fielding a competitive car when the big overhaul kicks in.
Albon for one, is completely on board with this idea.
The Thai-British driver further emphasized that no one at the team wants to settle for mid-table positions. “We want to be fighting for podiums, we want to be fighting for race wins,” he said on The Fast and the Curious podcast.
Alex Albon has said he is in favour of Williams sacrificing the 2025 season if it means the team can hit the ground running when the new rules come into force in 2026
Can Williams and Albon fight their way to the top of #F1‘s pecking order? pic.twitter.com/74xuywy4CJ
— Autosport (@autosport) June 20, 2024
Last season, Williams had a rather underwhelming season and effectively took a step back in performance. Finishing ninth after the P7 finish in 2023, was certainly not the kind of season Vowles and Co. would’ve hoped for.
Heading into the 2025 season, Williams know they may face a similar fate. So, it is understandable that they would divert all their resources toward the 2026 car and aim to take a significant step forward.
Time will tell if they can do so. But Albon understands that they will have to sacrifice on small gains for the same.
Albon believes in Vowles’ long-term vision
When Sainz got to know that he would have to vacate his Ferrari seat to make way for Lewis Hamilton, he didn’t have a lot of good options. Alpine, Sauber, Williams — all of them were backmarkers when he was asked to make a decision.
However, Sainz went ahead with the iconic British name for one reason only: Vowles’ ambitions.
He knew that Williams wouldn’t be world-beaters in 2025 itself, but that a little bit of patience could eventually bear a lot of fruit. That’s what Albon too believes in.
“I’ve signed a long-term contract, Carlos has [signed a long-term contract],” the 28-year-old added. “Partners that have come in, everyone sees the vision of it.”
“It’s good, the vibes are good,” Albon said, admitting that there is a belief within the team that with a new title sponsor (Atlassian), upcoming engine-centric regulation changes, and a Mercedes partnership, they can start winning races.
