Albon feels direct comparison with Sainz has helped him

Alex Albon believes he is driving at the same high level he has for much of his Williams career, but that the outside perception of him has changed by having Carlos Sainz as his teammate.

Sainz was signed from Ferrari ahead of the 2025 season, joining Albon who has been part of the Williams setup since 2022. With the team improving on track, Albon says the addition of a proven race winner has also led to his own stock rising outside of the team, but that Williams knew what he was capable of from the previous three years.

“Yes, I do, I do think [the perception] has changed,” Albon told F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast. “I think that it was easy to dismiss me for my teammates. I think that was an easy scapegoat to say, ‘Oh, he’s doing well, but we don’t really know how to quantify him as a driver.’

“And I think when James [Vowles, team principal] spoke to me early on about Carlos joining, I was in two positive mindsets. The first one was he’s going to be a huge asset to the team with all of his experience and him being a quick driver. The second was I feel like he’s a credible reference that I can go into and I genuinely want to see how I stack up against a driver like Carlos.

“I was confident in who I was, but I think I maybe have surprised some of the paddock. I don’t think necessarily the people that know were surprised. This sounds a bit arrogant saying this, but internally at Williams, or the ones that I’ve driven for in the past, but I’m glad with how I’ve been performing this year.”

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Despite his reputation taking a boost externally, Albon says he isn’t interested in using that as a catalyst for a potential move to another team higher up the grid.

“I love the story of Williams. I think we’re definitely in the right position and I’m not looking around," he said. "I’m convinced in the project, because I’ve been here, and I think James and the board are doing a fantastic job. I do mean that, and just looking at the previous results there’s no reason why I need to look around. I’m very happy with where I am.”

Albon insists he has been going about his business in the same manner as previous seasons, but that the major step forward Williams made with its car this year has led to eye-catching results that lead to his performances being noticed more often.

“I don’t think I’ve changed anything, I just think I’ve been given a platform to showcase what I can do, more than anything," he said. "So I think the noise outside of driving is very focused on driver results, and it looks like it’s been a great year – and it has been a great year for myself, but the car has allowed me to get to that point.

“So when I think about the results we have been able to achieve on different tracks and scoring different points, and good points – P5s – I just think it’s such a team-based sport. There’s almost like a, ‘Wow, Alex is having a great season’ and I would agree, but I would say that it’s such a car and team thing. I feel like I had great races last year that never got talked about, because I was P18.

“I’m hungry this year. I feel like I’ve been able to showcase what I can do. I feel like I’ve always had an elbows-out, hungry mentality, and we’re in the midfield – we’re always fighting. I feel like I can go to every race knowing that there’s a chance to score points, there’s a good results finish available to me.

“So in terms of that sense, motivation is always strong. As a driver, it sounds really boring to say and maybe it goes against the general trend of where the story goes, but I feel like I’m driving just as well as I have done and it’s been as an amazing year. But my process is very consistent. I go to every race, I work on myself and I look at these little details, and that hasn’t really changed.”