Alex Albon’s fifth-place finish in the Australian GP is also thanks to Sainz: here’s how the former Ferrari driver helped his new teammate.
Williams‘ 2025 season has started on the right foot: Alex Albon’s fifth-place finish is his best result since joining Williams and the team’s best season opener in the last nine years. With 10 points, the Grove-based team sits in fourth place in the constructors’ standings after the first race weekend.
Starting from sixth position, he was overtaken by Charles Leclerc‘s Ferrari on the first lap but managed to defend against repeated attacks from the other Red car of Lewis Hamilton. After the safety car caused by Fernando Alonso on lap 34, Albon opted for medium tires while many others switched to hard compounds.
With the return of the rain, car number 23 immediately pitted for intermediate tires, allowing him to overtake drivers who stayed out one lap longer, including both Ferraris and Yuki Tsunoda’s Racing Bulls ahead of him. After the final safety car, Albon was running in fourth place before being overtaken by Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes. The Italian driver later received a five-second penalty for an unsafe release, temporarily promoting the Williams driver to P4 at the end of the race. However, after a stewards’ review, Antonelli’s penalty was revoked, dropping Albon back to P5.
“I’m very happy,” Albon commented after the race, as stated in the Williams report. “It was a crazy race, but a fifth place is special for the team and might not happen often this year. Our strategists did an exceptional job. These are the conditions we hate the most, and yet, despite everything, we were among the best in the midfield.” .
On the other side of the garage, however, Carlos Sainz‘s debut race ended on the first lap, as car number 55 crashed into the barriers at Turn 16 after an unusual loss of grip. “Without going into detail, it was related to the gear shifts in Safety Car Mode,“ Sainz explained. Despite his early retirement, the Spaniard still contributed to his teammate Albon’s race, assisting the team with strategy and advising on the optimal timing for the final pit stop.
“Today, we had an extra strategist, and that was Carlos,” added Williams team principal James Vowles. “His insight was incredibly valuable in the transition from slicks to intermediates. We saw that some teams were hesitant about what to do, but Carlos was adamant about switching to intermediates.”“In the end, he was right, and he helped us achieve our goal.” .
“We’re a very united team,” concluded Albon. “It’s great to have had Carlos’ help from the pit wall as well.” The new Williams pairing is only in their first race together, but the bond already seems very strong, and the prospects for a great season are all there.
Photo: Atlassian Williams Racing
