Natalie Pinkham amazed by what Alex Albon has done at Williams this season that she’s never ‘seen before’

Williams Racing have started the 2025 Formula 1 season much more positively than many would have expected.

After underperforming last year and being forced to drop Logan Sargeant after underwhelming alongside Alex Albon, team principal James Vowles will be pleased with the step forward his organisation have taken.

Last season’s Williams was overweight and launched with little fanfare ahead of pre-season, while this year’s FW47 was unveiled to the world with great fanfare at Silverstone, and new driver Carlos Sainz handed the honour of doing the first lap of the track.

Many expected Sainz to put Albon under pressure this year, but the opposite has turned out to be true after the first two race weekends.

Ted Kravitz spotted a worrying trend with Sainz after the Chinese Grand Prix, with the positive progress he made in Bahrain during testing seemingly no longer evident.

Meanwhile, Albon has gone from strength to strength this season and, after back-to-back points finishes, looks like a different driver both on and off the track.

READ MORE: Williams driver Alex Albon’s life outside F1 with net worth, girlfriend to parents

Natalie Pinkham spots new ‘steeliness’ in Wiliams star Alex Albon

Sky Sports F1 broadcaster and pit lane reporter Natalie Pinkham was speaking to journalist Lawrence Barretto on the F1 Nation Podcast.

They were discussing Williams’ start to the season, and Pinkham said: “I think the only surprise is that Carlos hasn’t been stronger, but I think there’ve been mitigating circumstances that have led to that.

“I also think that Alex has been really impressive, and I think Carlos joining the team has meant that Alex has raised his game.

“There is a steely determination about Alex Albon now that I haven’t seen before. I’ve always thought he’s a lovely bloke and a great racer, but there just seems to be even more of an edge now, and that’s what he needed, I think, to kick on with his career.”

Some start to the season for Albono 😮‍💨

Let’s see what we can do for the rest of the season 👊 pic.twitter.com/942kRKUUlY

— Atlassian Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) March 25, 2025

Barretto added to Pinkham’s point and continued: “I think Alex just hasn’t had that in the last few years where he’s had that driver on the other side of the garage really pushing him.

“He’s been the one to drag the team along, and I think he really saw when Carlos came in in that Abu Dhabi test and the performance he put in there, then the kind of performance he delivered straight out of the box in Bahrain.

“I do think that’s forced Alex to level up in a really positive way.”

READ MORE: All to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes ties

Alex Albon providing an example to Liam Lawson after Red Bull demotion

Albon’s Formula 1 career has been intriguing, switching from Toro Rosso to Red Bull halfway through his maiden campaign.

He lasted longer than his predecessor Pierre Gasly, but Albon simply couldn’t cope alongside Max Verstappen and instead of being dropped into Red Bull’s junior team, he lost his race seat altogether.

George Russell recommended Albon to Williams to replace him when he received his Mercedes call-up and he’s led the team ever since, even if they’ve been backmarkers for much of that time.

Williams are on the rise right now, with Albon leading the charge and appearing to take the challenge for race-winner Sainz arriving alongside him very seriously.

Liam Lawson has been told to take inspiration from Albon after being dropped by Red Bull after just two races.

He’s proven to be the perfect example of how a driver’s Formula 1 career doesn’t end just because Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have decided that you’re now surplus to requirements.