There are some really exciting new partnerships on the grid in 2025 with the Formula 1 paddock being completely mixed up after a whirlwind driver’s market last year.
McLaren and Aston Martin were the only teams to stick with their current pairing once the 20 F1 drivers were confirmed for 2025.
The other eight teams have all chosen to go in different directions with their line-ups, although some were forced into making those choices.
For example, Mercedes lost Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari with Toto Wolff deciding to go with a driver on the complete opposite end of the experience spectrum by promoting Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Haas couldn’t keep hold of Nico Hulkenberg after he decided to join Sauber and that pair of teams decided to go with a completely new pair of drivers for 2025.
One of the most fascinating new line-ups on the grid this season is at Williams.
After finishing ninth in the constructors’ championship last year, team principal James Vowles secured the signing of Carlos Sainz after the Spaniard was moved aside for Hamilton.
Williams have tried to make their 2025 car easier to drive, and that could prove pivotal to Sainz’s new teammate Alex Albon.
Albon – who has scored 240 points during his F1 career – has been the lead driver at Williams ever since he signed for the team, seeing off Nicholas Latifi, Logan Sargeant and Franco Colapinto.
But Harry Benjamin, speaking on the Chequered Flag Podcast, believes Sainz’s arrival will put the Thai driver under more pressure than he’s felt since his days at Red Bull
Alex Albon predicted to be under ‘a bit of pressure’ from Carlos Sainz at Williams
Talking about the upcoming season and Williams’ chances, Benjamin said: “It is obviously a bum deal for Carlos Sainz, but I think between himself and Alex Albon, they’ve got quite a good duo there.
“I think there’s going to be a bit of pressure on Albon because we’re going to see what he’s really made of alongside somebody like Sainz who’s proven time and time again how quick he is in the car but also the kind of engineering mindset that he has as well.
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“He’s a strategist inside the car as well as driving it. And so together I think they could power Williams forward.
“It won’t be immediate but I think they’ve got good bones there to really start progressing over the next couple of years and there will be a bit of pressure on Albon to deal with that too.”
James Vowles already excited about Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon partnership
Williams have had a difficult few years in Formula 1, racing near the back of the grid and currently on a 13-year run without a victory.
However, Sainz and Albon is their strongest driver line-up since Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa and with the right car, they should be challenging at the front of the midfield.
Vowles loves what Sainz and Albon are doing behind the scenes at Williams, and that should have a positive impact on this year’s car and their new machine in 2026 when the regulations change.
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The pair have a very similar driving style and are well known for their detailed feedback which should propel the team forward.
Sainz and Albon will already be looking towards 2026 when Vowles believes Williams will be much closer to the front than they currently are.
That puts a lot of pressure on everyone at the factory to deliver after years of mediocrity but the evolution of the team under Vowles’ leadership suggests there’s no reason to doubt that they’ll be a much more competitive force.
