The 2025 System 1 season rewarded Alex Albon for the immense endurance he has displayed ever since becoming a member of Williams in 2022, when it was the worst workforce within the championship. Even within the years which adopted, the British outfit solely steadily improved however Albon continued to be its beacon of sunshine, who at all times maximised his equipment with out placing up a fuss.
His restoration drive on the 2022 Australian Grand Prix is the efficiency which instantly involves thoughts.
What the Thai-Briton achieved was much more outstanding contemplating who was within the sister automotive, whether or not or not it’s Nicholas Latifi or Logan Sargeant, it doesn’t matter as neither had been ok for F1. However that each one modified this 12 months when Williams signed grand prix winner Carlos Sainz from Ferrari, which served as the primary take a look at for the way a lot Albon had really improved since his disastrous 2020 at Purple Bull.
It was a take a look at Albon handed with flying colors although, coming straight out of the blocks with factors in seven of the opening eight rounds. Such kind was in fact helped by Williams producing a a lot better automotive this 12 months, one that truly wasn’t chubby when the season began, nevertheless it wasn’t all right down to that as a result of Sainz was getting beat by his team-mate.
It’s not just like the Spaniard was doing terribly both, he’d scored in 5 of the primary eight grands prix, it’s simply that Albon was within the type of his life and workforce boss James Vowles reckons being “pushed” by the sister automotive was a key cause for it.
However as is the case with life within the midfield, there are at all times peaks and troughs: three consecutive DNFs from Spain to Austria ended Albon’s kind. He managed to bounce again, nonetheless, by scoring factors in 4 of the 5 races both aspect of the summer season break due to Williams fixing the cooling issues that plagued its driver.
Carlos Sainz, Williams, Alexander Albon, Williams, James Vowles, Crew Principal, Williams
Picture by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Photographs through Getty Photographs
Albon was due to this fact on the up, nonetheless frequently beating his team-mate and scoring factors at a lot of a canter that he was difficult Mercedes man Andrea Kimi Antonelli for seventh within the championship.
Then got here the season-ending flyaways although, the place he suffered a mysterious lack of kind in qualifying whereas Sainz’s trajectory went the alternative means. In Baku the ex-Ferrari man scored Williams its first podium since George Russell at Spa 2021 after which its second at Qatar, all whereas Albon failed to attain any factors within the final eight grands prix – which he put down as nothing greater than a “unhealthy run”.
So it wasn’t an excessive amount of of a priority for Williams, who claimed its finest championship end since 2017 with fifth. There’s numerous constructive issues presently taking place at Williams and certainly one of them is Albon, who reckons 2025 was his “finest season but” regardless of zero podiums.
“I have never modified a lot my software into this 12 months,” he added, having completed eighth and 9 factors above Sainz within the standings. “However the automotive and what the blokes and ladies have finished on the manufacturing facility – made an enormous step this 12 months. I have been with this workforce for 4 years now, and this has been clearly the most important step out of the 4 years from 12 months to 12 months.
“It has been fulfilling, been enjoyable to have the ability to race in opposition to a number of the high groups in some sure tracks. In direction of the tip of the 12 months, not superb, however typically tempo has been sturdy.”
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