Alex Albon believes Williams are on a far stronger footing as the F1 team looks ahead to the 2026 Formula 1 regulations, pointing to improved leadership, culture and confidence following a season of progress in 2025.
Speaking in the print media pen after the 2025 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Albon reflected on Williams’ trajectory over recent years, acknowledging the setbacks the team faced before taking a significant step forward.
“I think that no big secrets, just hard work, great leadership from James. We’ve had a few years where we took maybe a step back. I think 2024 stands out to me as a year of setbacks.”
Despite the challenges of 2024, Albon believes the difficult period ultimately strengthened the team’s foundations as James Vowles looked to focus on the medium to long term.
“But the foundations of the team became a lot healthier and you saw a big jump from 2024 to 2025. There’s a great positivity, great culture within the team, great optimism as well. I feel like there’s confidence in the team as well.”
Confidence moving forward
Looking ahead, Albon acknowledged that early-season performance can be unpredictable, but remains confident in Williams’ ability to respond and improve for their 2026 F1 season.
“Next year, in many ways it’s not random but you can start off slow, you can start off quick. I feel like we’re a team that can do great things. Sounds pessimistic, even if we are to start slow,” he said.
That belief is rooted in how the team has evolved internally, particularly when compared to previous regulation changes.
“I think we’ve got a great team behind us who can find solutions and adapt quickly. I’ve been in this team when we did our first regulation change in 2022 and it was a tough, tough year. I look at the team now and see how much healthier we are.”
Albon added that this progress has left him confident in what Williams can deliver next year.
“And I have so much confidence in the team to deliver a good car next year.”
Short winter break brings added challenges
With testing on the horizon already in January, Albon also spoke about the limited time available to reset before preparations for the new season ramp up.
When asked about the mental preparations required for such a short turnaround, he was candid about the demands. “It’s brutal. I don’t think it’s enough. I have seven days off. We finish next week, we do some later next week. Do the Christmas parties and all this kind of thing.”
He detailed a tightly packed end-of-year schedule before training resumes in earnest. “Then we go to the factory. I go for seven days, I come back, I do Christmas with my family. And then on the 27th of December I start my training camp.”
Williams will return to the factory on the 5th January to start off their 2026 F1 season, where Albon believes careful energy management will be critical as the season approaches.
“And the 5th of January we’re back in the factory. Not a lot of time to rest. I think energy management next year is going to be so important,” he said.
With the calendar tightening and preparation intensifying, Albon expects a demanding start to the year.
“The teams are going to really have to be quite principled in how we go into the year. It’s busy from testing, it’s busy from such a short turnaround. It’s going to be tough.”
