Alex Albon believes he’s driving on the identical excessive degree he has for a lot of his Williams profession, however that the surface notion of him has modified by having Carlos Sainz as his teammate.
Sainz was signed from Ferrari forward of the 2025 season, becoming a member of Albon who has been a part of the Williams setup since 2022. With the crew bettering on monitor, Albon says the addition of a confirmed race winner has additionally led to his personal inventory rising exterior of the crew, however that Williams knew what he was able to from the earlier three years.
“Sure, I do, I do assume [the perception] has modified,” Albon informed F1’s Past the Grid podcast. “I feel that it was simple to dismiss me for my teammates. I feel that was a straightforward scapegoat to say, ‘Oh, he’s doing effectively, however we don’t actually know easy methods to quantify him as a driver.’
“And I feel when James [Vowles, team principal] spoke to me early on about Carlos becoming a member of, I used to be in two optimistic mindsets. The primary one was he’s going to be an enormous asset to the crew with all of his expertise and him being a fast driver. The second was I really feel like he’s a reputable reference that I can go into and I genuinely need to see how I stack up in opposition to a driver like Carlos.
“I used to be assured in who I used to be, however I feel I possibly have shocked a few of the paddock. I don’t assume essentially the folks that know had been shocked. This sounds a bit boastful saying this, however internally at Williams, or those that I’ve pushed for up to now, however I’m glad with how I’ve been performing this yr.”
Regardless of his popularity taking a lift externally, Albon says he isn’t enthusiastic about utilizing that as a catalyst for a possible transfer to a different crew larger up the grid.
“I like the story of Williams. I feel we’re undoubtedly in the best place and I’m not wanting round,” he stated. “I’m satisfied within the challenge, as a result of I’ve been right here, and I feel James and the board are doing a incredible job. I do imply that, and simply wanting on the earlier outcomes there’s no motive why I would like to go searching. I’m very proud of the place I’m.”
Albon insists he has been going about his enterprise in the identical method as earlier seasons, however that the foremost step ahead Williams made with its automobile this yr has led to eye-catching outcomes that result in his performances being observed extra typically.
“I don’t assume I’ve modified something, I simply assume I’ve been given a platform to showcase what I can do, greater than something,” he stated. “So I feel the noise exterior of driving could be very targeted on driver outcomes, and it seems prefer it’s been an important yr – and it has been an important yr for myself, however the automobile has allowed me to get to that time.
“So once I take into consideration the outcomes we’ve been in a position to obtain on completely different tracks and scoring completely different factors, and good factors – P5s – I simply assume it’s such a team-based sport. There’s nearly like a, ‘Wow, Alex is having an important season’ and I might agree, however I might say that it’s such a automobile and crew factor. I really feel like I had nice races final yr that by no means obtained talked about, as a result of I used to be P18.
“I’m hungry this yr. I really feel like I’ve been in a position to showcase what I can do. I really feel like I’ve at all times had an elbows-out, hungry mentality, and we’re within the midfield – we’re at all times combating. I really feel like I can go to each race understanding that there’s an opportunity to attain factors, there’s outcomes end obtainable to me.
“So by way of that sense, motivation is at all times robust. As a driver, it sounds actually boring to say and possibly it goes in opposition to the overall pattern of the place the story goes, however I really feel like I’m driving simply in addition to I’ve executed and it’s been as an incredible yr. However my course of could be very constant. I am going to each race, I work on myself and I take a look at these little particulars, and that hasn’t actually modified.”
