Williams boss James Vowles has backed Alex Albon to “step up to the challenge” when Carlos Sainz arrives at the team from the 2025 Formula 1 season.
Albon is a long-term member of the Williams revival project, signing a multi-year contract extension through F1’s regulation change in 2026.
Sainz, left searching for a drive upon Lewis Hamilton’s signing by Ferrari for 2025, penned a multi-year contract with Williams that will see him line up alongside Albon.
A three-time Grand Prix winner, Sainz is the strongest team-mate that Albon will have to face since his ill-fated stint at Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen.
Vowles, however, told F1 Beyond the Grid podcast host Tom Clarkson that Albon will “step up to the challenge every time.
“That’s why I’ve signed him for the long term,” Vowles continued. “He is brilliant at this.
“What you will see is an Alex that keeps stepping forward.
“Because when you have a team-mate that goes, ‘oh, you found half a tenth there, I’ll do the same,’ you start getting pushed in a way that you haven’t before.
“But his response will only be positive.”
READ MORE: Franco Colapinto on pace with Alex Albon in Williams F1 simulator
Albon already challenged by Colapinto
Albon already has a competitive urge to step up thanks to the arrival of Franco Colapinto.
Colapinto was drafted in as a mid-season replacement for Logan Sargeant at the Italian Grand Prix and scored his maiden points finish a round later at Baku.
Last time out in the Singapore GP, Colapinto qualified within seven-thousandths of a second of Albon, showing he’s a worthy match for the Anglo-Thai driver.
“In simulator land, [Colapinto] is on the same pace as Alex,” Vowles explained.
“And it’s a good simulator, so we’re able to compare where we are here. But you’re never quite sure if that’s going to translate.
“I knew he’d be quick. What I didn’t expect is how quickly he’s got up to speed.”
Sainz is joining a Williams ‘leader’ in Albon
Regardless of how well Colapinto is performing, Sainz is locked in as Albon’s intra-team target for 2025 and beyond.
The Anglo-Thai driver floundered at Red Bull, thrust into a front-running team too early in his F1 journey, but has developed into a fine driver at Williams.
Vowles has recognised that development, adding: “Don’t underestimate how difficult a time he’d been through before joining this organisation.”
It goes without saying that Albon had to rebuild his F1 career after losing his Red Bull drive to Sergio Perez and sitting out the 2021 season, before signing with Williams in 2022.
“The maturity and how [Albon’s] evolved is he’s become a real leader of the organisation and one that wants this to be successful,” Vowles explained.
“One where he’s committed, his words, not mine, the best years of a career, typically. This is where he wants to spend it.
“So he wants it to be successful at the same time. And it’s a large self-belief that he’s gained. I mean, he is excellent.”
READ MORE: Carlos Sainz arrival will give Williams the ‘best driver line-up’ in F1 – James Vowles
