Williams team principal James Vowles praised the working relationship between Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon as the 2025 F1 season wrapped up in Abu Dhabi.
The Grove-based team has momentum on their side heading into the new year, having finished a commendable P5 in the Constructors’ standings. Sainz’s performance in particular drew attention following his high-profile move from Ferrari to Williams for 2025, a decision widely viewed as a bold career gamble given the team’s form. After a rocky start to the year, Sainz delivered two surprise podiums in Baku and Qatar—marking Williams’ first podium finish since George Russell’s P3 at the rain-shortened Belgian GP in 2021.
Albon, on the other hand, enjoyed a solid first half of the campaign before enduring a more challenging run after the summer break.
Vowles praises collaborative Albon-Sainz dynamic
In the team’s post-race debrief video, Vowles reflected on how the working dynamic between Albon and Sainz developed across the season.
“From the very, very first test we did in Bahrain together, all the way through Melbourne where obviously Carlos wasn’t in the car [following his crash on the opening lap] but was still helping the team—they were working together very freely in terms of debriefs, data sharing, and setup direction,” Vowles said.
Both drivers, he emphasised, showed professionalism and mutual respect from the outset, working in tandem to push the team forward.
“It’s been a relationship that actually from minute one was as strong as it was at the end of the season, and sometimes that can change team on team, subject to the pressures the drivers are feeling, the team is feeling, but that didn’t change anything here at all,” Vowles stated.
“And it’s just a sign of, A, both of them being absolutely top sportsmen in their own right, but two, this is about our journey back to the front, and so we’re not getting caught up in the details of who finished where at what race. It’s about how does the team move forward.”
Open feedback and shared learning accelerated progress
According to Vowles, this willingness to collaborate proved particularly valuable when it came to adapting to the unique characteristics of the FW47. Vowles pointed to the season-opener in Australia as an example of this approach.
He explained: “So good examples I can provide you, if we go all the way back to Melbourne, Alex actually found a way of driving the Williams—which is slightly different to the Ferrari, especially through Turn 3. It’s a way of getting it rotated in the corner, running the setup.
“And he was very open with Carlos after FP1, once Carlos sort of came in and commented, he was unable to follow a certain line. That was the very first race, but the start of that relationship, and it carried on through the season. There were subtleties to a Williams car that Alex was able to help Carlos.”
Split setup strategy proved valuable
As the season progressed, Williams began to explore different setup paths across both cars, allowing the team to gather a wider pool of data for race weekends.
“The same in converse,” Vowles continued.
“What we did about halfway through the year, is started to split the setups quite differently between the two cars, because both drivers are within milliseconds of each other. But it allowed us to find two different directions, and it’s the honest feedback that comes back after the practise session that drives then the unified setup.”
With both Sainz and Albon set to remain at Williams for 2026, Vowles believes the strength of their relationship will continue to be a major asset.
“So that’s how it built,” he concluded, “and it will keep building into next year and beyond.”
