Williams Racing aims for a tactical reset in Brazil this weekend. Ahead of the São Paulo GP, Alex Albon suggests that they must stop using experimental set-ups on their cars immediately. At round 21 of the 2025 F1 season, a familiar baseline is strictly necessary to recover their form now.
Albon led this “back to basics” push recently as the team spent the gap between races analysing data. He noted they were “busy debriefing everything as a team”. He said this was “in order to get on top of some of the issues we’ve experienced in recent weekends.”
These internal investigations led the team to a firm decision: prioritising stability over complex experimentation.
The unique pressures of Interlagos heavily dictated this new strategy. The demanding Sprint format returns for the F1 São Paulo GP. Teams receive only one 60 minute practice session on Friday to analyse their data. The competitive action begins immediately after that single session.
This leaves almost no time for drivers to validate new parts.
Albon eyes ‘old-school’ opportunities
Albon stressed that this limited track time forces their hand for the São Paulo GP. Running untested parts is a risk in a Sprint format. He confirmed, “With limited track time, we’ll go back to a more familiar set-up approach.” Albon added they will “run less experiments than we have been doing.”
He also expressed his love for the famous circuit. The Thai driver said that he enjoys the “old-school elements” and looks forward to driving for the “passionate fans” in Brazil.
However, the team needs to remain highly “agile” this weekend. They must handle the notoriously unpredictable Brazilian weather changes.
Teammate Carlos Sainz also recognises these immense challenges. He wants to find speed immediately in Friday’s solo practice. Sainz stated, “Heading to Brazil for what will be another Sprint weekend, I’m looking forward to driving around this iconic track.”
Sainz was aware that the weather often plays a chaotic role here. He added, “São Paulo weather always plays a part across the weekend, so we’ll look to capitalise on any opportunities we can”.
The drivers know they must execute a clean weekend. Sainz and Albon must add crucial points to the Williams tally at the São Paulo GP to be the best of the rest.
