Albon: The better my teammate the better for me

28-year-old Thai driver Albon, who rebuilt his Formula 1 career after a difficult spell at Red Bull, is optimistic about the challenge ahead and the progress Williams is making under team principal James Vowles.

Speaking to reporters and guests on the launch day of the Williams FW47 at Silverstone on Friday, Albon acknowledged that Sainz’s arrival at Williams brings an additional layer of competition but insists he sees the Spaniard’s presence as an opportunity rather than a threat.

When asked if he felt under pressure to beat Sainz, Albon said: "No, if I'm honest, no. I look at it differently to other people, but I see it as, the better my teammate, the better that, you know, I can go up against someone who’s got a big reputation, who’s just coming from a very strong year.

"I said it before, but possibly Carlos' best year in Formula 1 last year. So I think that's a great challenge to have, but also a positive outlook for me. I believe in myself, and I’m happy to go up against anyone."

Albon believes he and Sainz share a similar approach to racing and that the Spaniard’s experience at Ferrari will benefit Williams in the long run: "I think that he’s a bit of a—you call it a thinking driver. I would put myself in the same box. And in that sense, I think it’s good. It’s a good base to work from. We work well with each other.

Albon continued: "Obviously, we haven’t driven that much. We did a little short testing in Barcelona, but even the work we do in the simulator, it’s all going in the same direction. And Carlos is clearly bringing a lot of information from Ferrari, different ways of working and different ways to optimize their package. Obviously, it’s different to Williams, but it’s very interesting, not just for the team, but for myself as well," added Albon.

Williams is undergoing a major transformation under Vowles and investment from Dorilton Capital, with significant infrastructure upgrades in progress. Albon, who has been with the team since 2022, remains confident in the team's long-term direction.

Albon said of the changes: "I think they will come in. They will only help in 2026, but I don’t think they’ll—depending on what areas—I don’t think a lot of them will be optimized by 2026. So being totally realistic, it’s beyond then. That’s not to say I don’t think we should be making a good step next year, because we need to be talking about next year in early February."

When asked about how Williams' transformation has impacted team morale, Albon reflected on the team’s journey: "Yeah. I obviously joined this team when morale was maybe on the lower side. The investment was there, but we were going through a transitioning phase."

Looking back on last season, Albon lamented: "Of course, it’s a shame—I don’t think it’s fair to say the results last year were where we wanted them to be, but seeing all the work being done and seeing the changes being made… I don’t know if any of you have been able to visit Grove in the last year, you will see quite a big difference in just the way people are.

"I think culturally, it’s quite contagious here right now, in a good way. And there’s just an open-mindedness approach, which I don’t think was always the case when I first joined. And you can see that also, just as an example, now that Carlos has joined, seeing the team being reactive to that is great. It’s been really exciting to be a part of this journey. This is why I’m here," declared Albon.

Williams secured seventh in the F1 constructors’ championship last year, but Albon is keen to see further improvement: "I would like to see us, you know, making a step from last year for sure. Just in terms of quantifying that, it’s a little bit difficult to say.

"I’d like to be fighting up at the top half of that midfield fight. We’ll see how big of a midfield fight there is this year. I think it’s going to be closer even to the top teams, I’m hoping," concluded Albon, who will make his 105th Grand Prix start when he lines up on the grid for the 2025 F1 season-opening Australian Grand Prix, on 16 March.

With Sainz as his new benchmark and Williams continuing its rebuilding phase, Albon has a crucial year ahead to prove he can be an able partner to his highly-regarded teammate and not crumble as he id at Red Bull against a Top Gun.