Williams Racing believe that they won the 2024 Formula 1 driver’s market despite having to make a mid-season line-up change last season.
Team principal James Vowles was forced into a change after the Dutch Grand Prix with Logan Sargeant failing to live up to expectations.
He was replaced by Franco Colapinto which was seen as an immediate success, but Williams had already acted to secure their line-up for 2025 and have turned some heads with their business.
Alex Albon was on Red Bull’s radar at one point last year as they sounded out replacements for Sergio Perez, but Vowles convinced the British-born Thai driver to commit his future to Williams.
He’ll be driving alongside Carlos Sainz this year after the Spaniard lost his seat at Ferrari.
Vowles spent moths courting Sainz and he’ll hope that the work they’ve done over the winter has convinced the 30-year-old that he’s made the right decision.
F1 world champion Jenson Button is a Williams ambassador as was speaking to The Fast and The Curious Podcast during the team’s launch at Silverstone.
He explained why he thinks Sainz already loves being a Williams driver and his hopes for the team in 2025.
Jenson Button thinks it’s ‘so important’ Carlos Sainz is being listened to at Williams
Talking about Williams’ new driver pairing, Button said: “Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, I mean what a line-up!
“It’s a great line-up and from what Carlos has said and the team said, they’ve just been downloading him over the last few months.
“Taking all of his experience of working with McLaren, working with Ferrari over the last few years because it’s always interesting to know how other teams went about their business.
“He’s a driver, so he’s going to know a lot, but he’s not going to know everything that the team are doing.
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“He’s not an engineer, but they can download him as much as they can for understanding the way that they go racing.
“So it’s been really useful for the team and I think Carlos likes it as well, that they’re really listening to him.
“And that’s so important for a driver to know that the team are interested in what you have to say and that you’re involved with that development.
“Obviously, Alex has been doing it over the last few years. Now he’s got this experienced teammate coming in so they can work together, it’s been great.”
Jenson Button gives a preview of Williams’ ‘stepping stone’ 2025 Formula 1 season
Button was asked about how he thinks Williams will perform in 2025 compared to last season and explained: “I think this is a great stepping stone year for them.
“They had a few issues with sensitivities in the way that the car worked with downforce.
“The peak downforce level would have been very good on the car. But, when we say usable downforce, which is what you can actually use.
“Because when it’s usable, it gives you confidence as a driver and you can find the limits a lot easier. It’s not just going to snap you and put you in the barrier backwards.
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“So, I think that’s the area they’ve really worked on. It’s the high downforce, the high-speed corners, and also that stability getting into the low-speed corners.
“So, it’s funny because it might say, I’m just picking this out of thin air, it could say it’s three or four tenths quicker with that update.
“But if that update gives a driver confidence, it could double that in lap times, so who knows where they’re going to stand.”
Button thinks everyone in F1 wants to see Williams succeed and as one of the sport’s most historic teams, it would be incredible to see them return to the podium.
It’s unlikely that will happen in 2025, but Sainz and Albon will hope they can create a platform for Williams to be successful in the future.
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