Alex Albon has no intention of letting Williams rest on their recent improvements. The team has made significant strides last year, but the Thai-British driver insists they have to maintain their intensity as the 2025 Formula 1 season approaches.
“I don’t think it’s a year where we can kind of be relaxed. [That] we think that it’s all gonna come to us now,” Albon said. “There’s still an element of ‘keep pushing’ and keep making sure that we’re learning and being adaptable.”
Williams faced a mountain of challenges last season. The FW46 was overweight, costing them valuable time – up to 0.45 seconds per lap. An outdated design and assembly processes only added to the struggles.
Despite a ninth-place finish in the Constructors’ Championship, the team has since modernized its operations and their 2025 car is expected to hit the weight limit of 798kg from the very start.
That’s a huge progress. But Albon knows success doesn’t come from assumptions.
“We are going to arrive to setbacks next year, as every team is” he explained. “Hopefully now we’re in a better place to deal with it.”
Albon has a point. Racing is unpredictable, and even the best-prepared teams hit roadblocks. The difference lies in how they respond.
But Carlos Sainz also joined Williams in 2025 and Albon believes the former Ferrari driver will bring more than just experience.
“It will be great that once Carlos comes in and integrates himself into the team—his experience and his knowledge from Ferrari is going to help a lot,” he said.
Albon has a lot of praise for his new teammate’s qualities. “He’s well-spoken and he’s very articulate. He comes from a strong engineering background too. I think he’s good in that sense.”
But it’s not just about what Sainz knows. It’s about how Williams uses it. “How we take his information and how we can apply it to our car will be really important, too,” Albon added.
The team enters 2025 with cautious optimism. Reflecting on the past year, Albon remains realistic yet hopeful.
“I think we’re going to have a strong line-up,” he said. “We’ve learned through a lot of [setbacks], and I’m excited. I feel more hopeful [for] this next year than I was this year. We’ve made a lot of changes, and now we can use that into next year.”
Williams is on the upswing, but Albon’s message is clear. Improvement is not enough if it’s not sustained. The Grove-based team has laid the right groundwork, but the real test will come on the track in just a couple of weeks. For Albon, staying sharp and focused is non-negotiable.
“There’s no room to relax,” he said. And he means it.
