Alex Albon has one ‘regret’ in Imola after feeling podium was a possibility for Williams

Alex Albon felt a podium was possible in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, after finishing in fifth place at Imola.

Albon made use of the early Virtual Safety Car to pit and jump those who stopped early, including McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, and provisionally held third place with Isack Hadjar in fourth.

At the restart, Piastri’s pace was too much for Albon and Hadjar while Charles Leclerc also made his way past the Williams to demote him to fifth place.

A late Safety Car would put Albon back into the running when Williams pitted him for fresh tyres, enabling him to come out between the two Ferrari drivers. Albon would then attack Leclerc in the closing stages, although he would be forced off by the Monegasque Tamburello, which made him run through the gravel.

Fearing a penalty, Ferrari told Leclerc to give the position back, enabling Albon to finish in P5. However, the Williams driver feels a podium was on the cards when speaking on F1 TV’s post-race show.

Alex Albon regrets being impatient in Charles Leclerc fight

Albon’s attack on Leclerc initially enabled Lewis Hamilton to attack, causing Albon to lose ground to Leclerc before he was able to regain in the closing stages.

The Williams driver regrets being impatient with the Ferrari, having known that Piastri was finishing the race on older tyres having decided not to stop under the Safety Car.

“There were two times I thought a podium was possible. The first was when I was in P3 and then I saw Oscar catching me, and I thought ‘Ok, he’s catching me a bit too quickly here and more than I can hold on to’,” said Albon.

“The second time was, in my eagerness to get past Charles, I saw Oscar was struggling with his tyres and I felt super. I regret it now because I could’ve been a bit more patient with Charles.

“I was going after Oscar, but I felt like I had to do the move then and there. If I waited a couple of laps and drained Charles’ battery, I could’ve got past him easier.”

Williams regularly scoring points despite focus on 2026

Williams was clear from the offset that their 2025 season could be compromised by switching focus to 2026 early, in a bid to get the jump on their rivals.

Carlos Sainz was warned of the prospect of a difficult season with the team coming from Ferrari, but so far they have regularly been in the running for points.

Albon finished ahead of both Ferraris in Miami, despite having a car that has seen minimal upgrades, with Williams now only putting on parts that have not been developed in their wind tunnel.

The team sits fifth in the Constructors’ Championship after seven races, which could be a significant leap compared to previous seasons if they continue their current form.