Williams are looking to build back to the front of the F1 grid after years of struggles. They may have a strong foundation to do just that in 2025.
James Vowles has recruited heavily on and off the track to set the Grove-based outfit up to succeed in the future. Williams finished ninth in the constructors’ championship last year with the FW46’s lack of pace and multiple accidents costing the team.
Vowles has arguably built one of the strongest driver pairings in 2025. Alex Albon has retained his seat after practically carrying Williams on his back since 2022 as Nicholas Latifi and Logan Sargeant failed to perform next to him.
Carlos Sainz has made the switch from Ferrari after his best season to date in 2024. The Spaniard gives the Grove-based squad two leaders with Sainz and Albon already having a huge impact behind the scenes with feedback to the engineers.
Sainz feels Albon is the ‘perfect’ teammate to have at Williams to help him get integrated into the team. It seems the Thai driver’s guidance has proven strong judging by the Spaniard’s performance in pre-season testing.
While Sainz was left frustrated with Williams in Bahrain after feeling he had not unlocked enough potential from the FW47, their lack of long runs does not give away how fast they really are – and they are looking to keep that to themselves.
Williams do not want to get carried away with testing performance before Australian Grand Prix
Early indications are that Williams have taken a step forward in development. Sainz went quickest on day two of testing ahead of the two Ferraris.
But according to journalist Mat Coch, the staff in Grove are ‘really nervous’ heading into the Australian Grand Prix. They do not want to get carried away with their display in Bahrain, despite signs being good for their 2025 prospects.
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Coch said via Speedcafe: “I was actually messaging a few people at Williams over the three days of testing and they don’t want to get themselves carried away. They’re really nervous, they’re saying: ‘It’s only testing!’
“But the signs are good. Certainly when you look at the last couple of years, they’ve been struggling for points.
“They were in that battle for sixth but they were an arm’s length away from it really last season in terms of the constructors’ championship.
“This year they look very much in the fight, not just for sixth but potentially for fifth as well. That’s a huge step forward in terms of where that team has come from in recent years.
“And what it does, it also validates all the work they’re doing off track because there’s been a huge amount of investment since Dorilton Capital bought that team in 2020.
“They’ve spent off the top of my head 857.2 million Australian dollars, work that out say 500 million American? That’s a huge amount of money to invest in a team.”
Many people are tipping Williams to score a podium in 2025
Albon says Williams will move quickly into 2026 to try and ace the new regulations. While it seems their attention is more focused on next year, the team’s chances of being competitive this year are also strong.
Vowles says Williams have the ‘ingredients’ to score podiums in 2025 – many key figures are buying into that after seeing them in testing.
Jolyon Palmer has Williams as an ‘outside contender’ for a podium on a ‘wild day’. Alpine achieved a double podium in the rain-soaked Sao Paulo Grand Prix last year, proving it can be possible.
Peter Windsor stressed Williams have ‘no excuses’ for not being in the midfield in 2025. He would not be surprised if the team scored a podium – and their driver line-up is more than capable of achieving that.
The car looks quicker and Williams have already seen a boost around the factory with Sainz’s arrival. It could be a good season in 2025, but there will be an element of caution after their crashes in 2024.
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