Albon: I think Sainz and I will push each other hard

Spaniard Sainz is leaving Ferrari to make way for incoming seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, and his move to Williams was announced as the sport headed into the August break.

"It will be a challenge, of course. I think Carlos is very highly regarded, and I welcome it," Albon told reporters at the Dutch Grand Prix, the start of the second half of the season, on Thursday. "It's great to have that competition, and I enjoy that... we'll be able to learn from each other."

Albon noted that Williams would be a very different environment for the Spaniard, with the focus on improving the car and creating a team capable of regularly fighting for points.

Williams currently sits ninth out of the 10 teams, with only four points from 14 races—all scored by Albon. His American teammate, Logan Sargeant, will be leaving at the end of the year.

Albon also brings experience from a top team, having joined Williams in 2022 after a year out following his stint as teammate to now triple world champion Max Verstappen at Red Bull in 2019 and 2020.

"I think we'll push each other hard," he said of Sainz. "I'm especially interested to see what his feedback is. There are a lot of things you want to try and change—things he will have discovered during his time with the new generation of cars that he can bring to Williams.

"I've spent three years now driving a Williams, and you get quite used to it. It's nice to have that fresh perspective, especially from someone coming from a top team—it always helps."

Sainz has been at Ferrari since 2021, alongside Charles Leclerc. Before that, he was with Lando Norris at McLaren, had a stint with Nico Hulkenberg at Renault, and started alongside Verstappen at Red Bull-owned Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) in 2015. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin)