Williams’ foundations have improved markedly - Albon

Alex Albon says the foundations at Williams have improved significantly since he first joined the team in 2022 and convinced him that he should commit his long-term future to the team.

Williams has announced a new multi-year contract extension for Albon, taking him into the new era of regulations from 2026 onwards. The Thai-British driver was linked with vacancies at Red Bull and Mercedes after a strong first two seasons at Williams, and despite being yet to score this year, he says the progress he has seen as Dorilton Capital continues to invest -- including James Vowles arrival as team principal -- convinced him the team has a bright future.

“I believe the journey, that’s where it all comes down to,” Albon said, speaking to Vowles. “I looked at the work being done behind the scenes, and you’ve been very open in where we are. You weren’t ever trying to say it was better than it was, but there was always an action for us to go down, and it was the willingness of the people in the factory who wanted the change.

“So you had the feeling that we’re always going in the right direction, for the last year and a half, two years now, we’ve all been looking at the same kind of forward trajectory. And... when you look at the results to begin the season, it’s was almost like it’s unfair where we are, because there’s so much that has gone right.

“I guess 'unfair' is not a great choice (of word) because it’s racing and in the end it’s results based, but I feel like the foundations of this team have improved so much and we are forever evolving that, and I feel that there’s clearly so much room for us now to grow, whereas I didn’t feel necessarily that was the case when I first joined.”

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Albon says there’s an atmosphere within Williams that he hasn’t seen in the same way when racing for Toro Rosso (now RB) and Red Bull in the past, that also made extending his stay attractive.

“It’s the people [that make Williams special]. It’s clear we’re a British team; we’ve established as a family team for many years, and you get that family feeling when you come here. It feels everyone is so intertwined, there’s a real bonding that comes into the team, and everyone who joins -- like I did -- gets that feeling straight away.

“You feel a sense of care and love around here and with that comes a true care towards the team, a true grit, when we have been falling behind in certain areas. If it was the [crash] damage Logan [Sargeant] and I have created, for example, I think it’s the true love for the team and working for this team that creates a situation where everyone starts to dig deep and achieve things which I don’t believe many teams can.”