Williams driver Alex Albon has spoken about the dynamic with his new teammate Carlos Sainz, admitting he has learned not only from the Spaniard’s approach behind the wheel but also from his knowledge of the inner workings at Ferrari.

The pair began their partnership at the Grove based team this season after Sainz joined Williams following his ruthless exit orchestrated by Maranello. By the summer break, Albon has established a clear advantage, scoring 54 points compared to Sainz’s 16, as well as leading the head-to-head in qualifying (8–6) and races (9–4).

Albon’s Formula 1 career was shaped by his stint at Red Bull, where he partnered Max Verstappen during a turbulent spell. “When I drove next to him, I was focused on my development,” Albon told RacingNews365. “Much of the work consisted of analysing data to explain how Max did things. But I was inexperienced at the time. Now, alongside Carlos, I feel I have the mentality and knowledge to really understand everything.”

 

 

 

Sainz reveals Ferrari secrets

The Anglo-Thai driver explains that while he and Sainz have different driving styles, the contrasts are not dramatic. Both now benefit from a shared coach who helps them identify areas to improve. But it is outside the cockpit, Albon says, where Sainz has been particularly valuable.

“I probably learned more from him outside the cockpit than inside,” Albon admits. “I learned from him how he communicates and also how things work at Ferrari. From their work ethic to the way they conduct meetings, it’s all particularly interesting. It shows how perfect Carlos is for the team and how well he understands what we need.”

The Judge observes that Albon seems to have acquired his own personal “Sainz dossier,” which sounds less like teammate collaboration and more like intelligence gathering. One imagines him jotting down notes on Ferrari’s meeting etiquette like a schoolboy revising for an exam: “Ferrari engineers like espresso before PowerPoint, must remember this!!!”

That said, it is refreshing to hear a driver admit that the off-track habits of a teammate can be as valuable as on-track feedback. And for Williams, a team attempting to reinvent itself under James Vowles, Sainz’s knowledge of how a top outfit like Ferrari operates may prove more useful for now than a handful of midfield points.

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Williams’ hundreds of spreadsheets

When a Formula One driver moves between teams, they do not merely bring the promise of improved performance but they carry with them the catalogue of working practices from their previous environment. This is particularly true in the case of Carlos Sainz, whose time at Ferrari exposed him to the processes of a front-running organisation.

Alex Albon’s comments underline the importance of this transfer of knowledge. For Williams, a team still in the midst of rebuilding under James Vowles, exposure to how Ferrari structures meetings, analyses data, and enforces discipline within its engineering groups provides valuable benchmarks. It is not simply about technical solutions, but about organisational culture.

Ferrari’s work ethic (which at times is questionable) although most rigorous in preparation, detailed in feedback, and demanding of its personnel — contrasts with what Williams has been able to sustain during its lean years. Integrating some of those lessons could accelerate the Grove team’s return to competitiveness.

James Vowles too has brought ‘big team’ experience to the once great F1 Williams team. His experience from time at  the Brackley Mercedes campus quickly established the sleeping F1 giant was in a woeful state. The team were tracking their car builds and upgrades using hundreds of excel spreadsheets, something Vowles described as “night and day” when comparing it to the platforms used by the bigger teams.

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Williams early promise fades

After the signing of Carlos Sainz, Vowles was open and honest with his new driver making it clear that the huge regulation change coming in 2026 was the priority. Yet despite minimal work on the 2025 Williams challenger, Albon and Sainz have been able to garner enough points early season to see Williams now ‘best of the rest’ outside the top four teams.

For Vowles the project is not one which rolls from season to season, but a detailed and planned “five year project” where the culture and infrastructure of the team is being built anew. Williams scored the bulk of their points in the first eight rounds including Monaco, where Albon and Sainz were in the points on twelve occasions between them.

However the last six race weekends have been difficult for the Grove based team with Albon being forced to retire on three consecutive occasions and the driver duo scoring just three times since the Spanish Grand Prix. That said the team still enjoys a comfortable margin of its closest rivals Aston Martin, who are eighteen points behind, even after a big score from Fernando And Lance last time out in Hungary.

Despite renewed rumours of a potential return to Red Bull Racing, Albon is under contact at Williams until the end of next year. Team boss James Vowles believes the driver market for 2027 will be the “most volatile in history” as the brand new cars and powertrains establish a pecking order in the early part of next season.

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Vowles predicts ‘big driver moves’

“I think the end of 2026 will be another big driver market move,” he told Sky Sports. “A lot of contracts come up at that stage.” Included in this is Williams’ Albon and Sainz, but the team boss is convinced he will be able to retain his current driver lineup. “The simple answer is this,” he said, “I have two drivers who believe in what we’re doing in terms of the longevity of this team, the investment in this team and the direction to go back towards winning championships.

“My job in all of this is making sure they’re fairly rewarded for that journey and they want to be a part of that journey as well at the same time,” he added. “That’s what I can provide and offer them.  If someone wants to offer them twice that money, that’s their choice in doing so,” added Vowles. “But they are key leaders that are having direct impact on what this car looks like tomorrow and what it looks like in a year’s time, something not provided to a lot of drivers up and down the grid, almost treated as a separate asset, a separate entity that comes in.”

The Williams boss sets out his stall in terms of the future, insisting he will be having conversations with both Sainz and Albon “early in 2026.”

 

 

 

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