Williams have had a mixed start to the 2025 season, having improved dramatically on track but also suffered some disappointing races.
Carlos Sainz crashed out of his first race with the team after making a mistake in the wet conditions under Safety Car, while he also suffered another retirement in Bahrain after colliding with Yuki Tsunoda.
It has been a slightly better start to the season for Alex Albon, who has scored the bulk of the team’s points so far and fought with Ferrari in the last couple of races.
The Thai driver finished in P5 in both races, having raced with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, although Albon regrets missing out on a podium in Imola because of his battle with the Monégasque.
Albon has been the standout driver so far, but James Vowles has highlighted how both the Thai driver and Sainz have come together and shown their strengths to get them fighting for top five positions when speaking on the Drive to Wynn podcast.
James Vowles explains the biggest difference between Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon
Albon has used his experience to extract more out of the current Williams package, but Sainz has equally done a good job to get within a few tenths in qualifying of him.
Vowles explains why that is and what the main differences are when it comes to the pair, outlining their strengths and weaknesses.
“Alex probably learned how to drive around a few of the car characteristics that we have. So the car is still quick, but it does have some pretty horrible characteristics in some circumstances. That was the differentiator between the two,” said Vowles.
“You’d see Alex taking a different line, for example, Melbourne Turn 3, than Carlos. It was only in qualifying that it came to fruition as to why. It’s because there’s a characteristic that picks up with a bit of crosswind through that, for example. I’m going to say very minor details.
“The biggest thing is this, Carlos is really good at combining on the front. Holding the brake pressure and then turning to the corner, and really maximising the lateral longitudinal grip of the tyre to get to the apex.
“But maximising the entry speed a little bit more so than Alex, probably if I had to look at anything in terms of driving style whatsoever at all. But when I say they’re similar, if I brought up their traces, you’d be hard pressed to find the differences between the two here.”
Williams have enjoyed best start in F1 for nearly a decade
Williams have enjoyed their best start to a season since 2016, having amassed 51 points between Albon and Sainz.
Daniil Kvyat was impressed with Williams in Imola and how well they managed their strategy over team radio between their drivers.
| Season | WilliamsPoints after seven Grand Prix |
| 2016 | 84 |
| 2017 | 22 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 51 |
Vowles believes Williams has the ingredients to score podiums in 2025, and the recent performances from Albon show they are getting close.
It is remarkable for the team, considering they have yet to bring any upgrades to their car because they have been fully focused on 2026.
