During the 2025 F1 season, Williams team principal James Vowles was interviewed for the Business of Sport podcast, where he discussed how he helped Alex Albon reach his potential.
Alex Albon delivered strong performances during the 2025 F1 season and helped Williams finish P5 in the Constructors’ Championship. Albon himself finished the season with a strong P8 in the Drivers’ Championship, a massive improvement from previous years.
The Thai driver, whom Vowles has known since 2016, joined the F1 grid in 2019, initially driving for Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls) before he swapped seats with Pierre Gasly at Red Bull mid-season. Albon continued for the 2020 F1 season but was replaced by Sergio Pérez ahead of 2021. Red Bull kept Albon as a test and development driver for 2021 before he rejoined the grid with Williams at the start of the 2022 season. Vowles reckons that Albon’s difficult stint in Red Bull and his first season in Williams had not helped his driver’s confidence.
Albon “fiercely quick” but lacking belief in himself during early days at Williams
“So, if we start with Alex, I’ve known Alex since 2016. He was with me at Mercedes, then went on to Red Bull. But I’ve known him since he was much younger.
“He [Albon], Lando [Norris], and George [Russell] all grew up together, which is quite a nice little story. You can see how they are all huddling together as well. And what I knew of him at the time, fiercely quick, lacked some confidence in himself, didn’t understand how good he really was, I think at times.
“And when I met him in 2023, he lacked belief in where he was. I think he’d had a hard time, pretty much going through the Red Bull system he had. And one year in Williams hadn’t necessarily helped him.”
Vowles on how he helped Albon build confidence
As a result of Albon’s lack of belief in his own skill, Vowles saw it as his task to “shield” his driver from F1 criticism while at the same time instilling confidence. The Williams team principal hopes his actions helped his driver gain the confidence to deliver performances like those observed during the 2025 F1 season.
“My job in all of that is to create a shield around him, let him know he is bloody good. He is one of the top drivers in the sport. I’ll be by his side and give him a pedestal that allows him to grow as a result of it.
“He has the inherent skill, but what I’ve done as a result of things, I hope, has really grown him as an individual, where he has the confidence to give his all every single weekend, which is what you’re seeing this year.”
Vowles: Drivers do the “hard work”
Vowles adds that both Williams drivers are doing the “hard work,” while he sees his own role as a “buffer” to the outside world, to ensure they can deliver their best performance. The 46-year-old Briton also makes sure his drivers can quickly move on after a tough weekend.
“To be clear on this, they do the hard work. Mine is just really light, guiding buffers on the outside to make sure that they’re good. Same when they have a down weekend, they will have a down weekend. My job is to make sure they don’t spiral out of control. They’re here, they understand how to, again, put it in a box.
“It’s done, it’s gone. Here’s how we move forward together at the same time.”
