By Ben Langley
When Carlos Sainz made the bold switch to Williams for 2025 and beyond, many thought he’d be the one to lead the Grove team towards the front of the grid. However, this season has seen otherwise. Williams have been enjoying a strong campaign, as they sit in 5th in the Constructors Championship on 86 points. The split between the drivers is surprising, with Alex Albon scoring 70 compared to Sainz’s 16. While the Spaniard has suffered with many instances of bad fortune this season, Albon’s consistency throughout the season has somewhat gone under the radar.
Albon’s incredible consistency has seen the Thai driver score points in every race weekend he has finished, apart from Bahrain and Hungary. These points finishes include four 5th place finishes. This conveys Albon as the driver who is the ‘best of the rest’ as he stands well clear compared to other midfield drivers. Most recently in Italy, Albon even climbed above Kimi Antonelli into 7th in the Drivers Championship.
Albon’s Formula 1 career has been a mixed bag to say the least. His early promotion into the Red Bull senior team was brief, like many others. He eventually broke ties with the Red Bull company to join Williams in 2022. It was difficult for Albon to prove himself in his first three years in Grove with his teammate not being the standard that Williams needed. Albon’s domination of his teammates Nicolas Latifi and Logan Sargeant didn’t fully convey Albon’s performance. However, the signing of Carlos Sainz in 2025 finally gave Albon a benchmark to compare himself with a driver who had significant experience and ability.
Many expected Sainz to be the lead driver, but the Spaniard struggled in the early stages to adapt to his new team and Albon took full advantage. Points finishes in the opening three races cemented Albon as a driver who can beat a driver as highly rated as Sainz. As the season has gone in, the two drivers have got closer, but it has been Albon that has delivered the majority of the strong results. This has seen Albon finally claim the plaudits that some feel are long overdue.
The question for the future is if Albon can lead the Williams team to even greater success in the future, as they aim for regular podiums and race wins. The appointment of James Vowles has seen a significant stabilisation and growth of the team, which can be seen in the improving trend of their results. Going into the 2026 regulations, Williams can be ambitious and look to pull clear of the midfield and put themselves in the fight at the sharp end. This may not be achieved instantly, but the strong driver lineup coincided with the expectedly strong Mercedes power unit could see Williams become a real force in the years ahead.
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