Williams boss James Vowles is looking to transform the team from a backmarker to the front of Formula 1 with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz.
Williams are fully focused on 2026 as they look to transition quickly into the new regulations. Albon wants to emulate Red Bull’s success with the ground effect era at Grove next season.
While Vowles has abandoned development on this year’s car, the team have seen huge signs of progress in 2025. The signing of Sainz from Ferrari has had a massive effect behind the scenes with technical feedback and atmosphere at the factory.
Vowles has noticed a ‘palpable’ change in the team as the spirit and optimism is high for the future. That has translated to success on the track as Williams sit fifth in the constructors’ championship after nine races.
| Position | Constructors’ Standings | Points |
| 1 |
McLaren Racing |
362 |
| 2 |
Scuderia Ferrari |
165 |
| 3 |
Mercedes-AMG Petronas |
159 |
| 4 |
Red Bull Racing |
144 |
| 5 |
Williams F1 Team |
54 |
| 6 |
Racing Bulls |
28 |
| 7 |
Haas F1 Team |
26 |
| 8 |
Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber |
16 |
| 9 |
Aston Martin F1 Team |
16 |
| 10 |
Alpine F1 Team |
11 |
Albon has finished P5 three times this season as he and Sainz have regularly broken into Q3. The team have more than tripled their 2024 points tally, having struggled desperately with underperformance and costly crashes last season.
While Williams ‘won’t be ready’ to win races in 2026, Vowles has laid the foundations for the team to succeed in the coming years.
Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz do not blame each other for ‘failures’ at Williams
Albon and Sainz give Williams two team leaders who can take the Grove outfit forward. But their time as teammates has not been entirely smooth, especially when battling on track.
Sainz was despondent over team orders in Miami as Albon overtook him due to miscommunication over the radio. But as Vowles pointed out on Williams’ official YouTube channel, neither driver, nor the team blame one another for any mistakes.
The team respond to ‘failures’ democratically and harmoniously. It proves Vowles has the perfect dynamic at Williams and the right foundation to succeed.
“It’s going to be a strange way to start, but I have made mistakes this year, we as a team have made mistakes this year, Alex and Carlos have made mistakes this year,” he said.
“You ask the virtue I enjoy the most about them. In all of these circumstances, these failures as I treat them, all of us have done the same thing.
“There’s no blame, there’s no politics, there’s no apportionment of: ‘You did this, I did that.’ It’s a reflection on ourselves of: ‘This is what I can do better and this is what’s changing for next week.’
“And Alex and Carlos absolutely embody that spirit.”
READ MORE: All to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes ties
James Vowles must keep Williams’ current dynamic and avoid a rivalry between his drivers
Albon and Sainz have worked together excellently for the most part at Williams. But as Miami proved, tensions can arise between the pair.
Jolyon Palmer thinks Sainz will be frustrated by Albon leading Williams, as the Thai driver enjoys a great start to the year. The Spaniard is still learning to adapt to his new surroundings since leaving Ferrari, but he has things his teammate can learn from.
Albon was stunned by Sainz’s bravery in Monaco as he kept his FW47 close to the barriers. Vowles says Sainz is better in corner entry, giving the Thai driver something to learn from his teammate.
Vowles has the right dynamic in the team right now, which is proven by their results in 2025. The challenge will be maintaining it as 2026 edges closer.
