Sainz-Albon partnership brings leadership to Williams, not politics

Williams team principal James Vowles says he is expecting his 2025 line-up of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon to bring his Formula 1 team the leadership it needs to help steer it out of its current plight.

WIlliams landed a major coup by signing race winner Sainz on a multi-year deal after the Spaniard lost his Ferrari seat to Lewis Hamilton. In Sainz and Albon, Williams is arguably punching above its weight with its driver line-up after finishing ninth in the constructors’ standings in 2024, but his arrival fits within the ambitious overhaul plans of Vowles and the team’s owner Dorilton to move the team towards the front of the midfield over the next few seasons.

Like Albon, Sainz comes with the reputation of being a team player and Vowles is banking on his and Albon’s ‘apolitical’ nature to help bring the required honesty and leadership to the team as it works its way off the rear of the grid.

“One of the elements that are great with Carlos and Alex is that neither one has any politics, they don’t have a political bone, they just want the car to be quick and they want to perform the best that we can within that environment,” Vowles told Motorsport.com.

“They both know the challenges of ’25, but the real crux of it is looking forward to what we have in 2026 together. So what I’m expecting is insights into where we’re strong during the week to what I already believe and what Alex already believes. What I’m expecting is leadership that with just a few words is able to lead the team in the right direction as we’re moving forward as an organisation. What I’m expecting is an individual that will give me everything when any given race begins, because we’re here to make this team successful.”

Vowles says Albon actively encouraged the team to get the Sainz deal over the line, with the Thai driver relishing the challenge of going up against him as a team-mate while also recognising the experience and engineering knowledge the former Ferrari, McLaren and Renault man will bring to Grove.

“What I love about Alex is he’s a leader,” Vowles explained. “When things get difficult, he pulls forward, irrespective of what the circumstances are, and lifts the team back up to emotional strength. He was the one encouraging us to get Carlos into the building because he’s not worried about a challenge, he wants us to be successful.

Alex Albon, Williams Racing, poses in front of colleagues for a team group photo

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

“He’s had a frustrating year himself. Reflecting on all that, Alex is the driver that I know he can be and I think next year he’ll reset, start again and he’ll be strong from the beginning.”  

With Albon facing his toughest team-mate yet at Williams, Vowles isn’t overly worried over the pair scrapping over the same piece of tarmac while the team is in its current lowly position.

“What I see with Carlos, does he fight hard? Yes. But is it clean? Also yes. It’s very clean racing. They’re not doing it by knocking the wheels off each other’s cars. They’re doing it by, if one of them is faster than the other one, they can race.

“And we’re in that situation as well. What I’ve always had a rule of is, it’s fair to race. It’s no problem to race, but you don’t hit each other, you don’t push each other off track. You do it as a sportsman, you do it clean, respecting the brand that you’re representing.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

“When I look at [Sainz and Charles Leclerc], there was some radio jibber-jabber across the last few races. That’s normal. One driver will always be frustrated by what it is. But as long as you create the right environment where they know this is the way we can race each other… And there will be points where I say, you can’t. We need to bring this result home. Because the result is more important than where you individually finish. That’s a very different situation to be dealing with.

“But if you have two drivers pushing each other, it’s typically that you’re getting the absolute most out of them. What is great about Carlos is, despite his future being different to what it is today, you’re seeing Carlos fight for everything. And that’s one of the strengths he has.”