Jenson Button claims he has seen “belief” within the Williams outfit that it is back on the right path in Formula 1.
Button made his F1 debut with the team – then under the stewardship of founder Sir Frank Williams and technical guru Patrick Head – back in 2000, and rejoined as a senior advisor in 2021.
The 2009 World Champion, who also provides analysis for Sky Sports, has observed the similarities between his early days with the team and the present, during which time it has negotiated some rocky spells under the transition of ownership and new team principals.
“The atmosphere kind of feels the same as back in 2000,” Button told Crash.net.
“It feels fun, exciting, obviously serious when it comes to racing, but it is a nice family atmosphere.
“When I re-joined the team as an ambassador the atmosphere wasn’t quite the same,” he explained.
“You had people that have been here for a couple of decades, [even] three decades, and then you had an influx of new talent coming into the team.
“There was a need to put together the right leadership to bring everyone together to work as one.”
Despite enduring a difficult 2024 campaign, scoring just 17 points to finish ninth in the Constructors’ standings, Williams is a team determined to build for a better future.
That is the mantra of Team Principal James Vowles and Button believes Williams has “belief” from within that things are trending upward.
“Now I think there’s a lot more belief in the direction of where the team is going, which is so important when you’re trying to work together to build for the future,” he said.
Alpine-bound Colapinto ‘refreshing’
Button also heaped praise on Franco Colapinto, who raced in the final nine rounds of last season with Williams, scoring five points, tempting Alpine to poach him on a multi-year deal which begins with a reserve driver role in 2025.
“It’s been really refreshing to watch a driver jump into the car and be competitive from the word go,” Button said of the Argentine.
“I think we all have a lot of respect for Alex [Albon], how good he is and what he is able to achieve in this sport. For somebody young to be able to jump in and push him is very impressive.
“You learn from your teammates no matter how old or young they are, whether they’re inexperienced or experienced, you still learn from the data.
“It really helps the team move forward as well if they have two drivers that are competitive, that can learn from each other and move this team forward.”
Albon will of course face stern competition this year in the form of established Grand Prix-winner Carlos Sainz, who joins from Ferrari.
READ MORE: Williams reveals when it hopes to give Carlos Sainz a race-winning F1 car
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