Alex Albon has admitted that next year’s Formula 1 rule changes could prove to be a hurdle to current progress shown by Williams, citing Mercedes as an example.

The Grove-based squad is enjoying its best F1 season for some time, currently heading up the midfield battle, sitting fifth in the the Constructors’ Championship.

18 points clear of Aston Martin in sixth, Williams has been able to boast top 10 finishes in all but four of the 14 rounds so far, with 54 of those points scored by Albon.

After being one of F1’s most competitive teams after Mercedes when the V6 hybrid era began in 2014, the team began to suffer a significant lull amid its sale by the Williams family.

The ground effect period of this era, which commenced in 2022, has seen little progress either, but Williams have now begun to crack the code.

However, next year sees the introduction of some of F1’s most radical technical regulation changes in its 75-year history, something that concerns the Anglo-Thai driver.

“It is, it is [a concern],” Albon told RacingNews365./

“A good example would be Mercedes. On the last generation of cars, they had a car that they dominated, and then they didn’t.

“I think the best teams still find a way. They still seem to be able to get everyone together, be adaptable, go up and still fight their way back up to the top.”

Williams ‘have foundations to bounce back’

Albon is natrually chomping at the bit to get the team back to where it used to proudly place itself – at the very top of F1.

The 29-year-old has been a focal part of its steady progress towards the midfield, having impressed amid its difficult periods since joining the team in 2022.

But Albon believes that even if the rule changes may truncate the team’s current upward trajectory, there is a good platform which should make it just a temporary blip.

“I think as a team, if I look at where we were three years ago and you asked me, ‘what happens if you plateau? What would happen there?’” he said.

“I would be like ‘yeah, that’s a talking point’. But now, we’re not there yet, but we’re in such a healthier position.

“Even if next year is not where we want to be, I still feel like we’ve got good foundations to bounce back.

“We still want to improve [the foundations], and we are.

“The amount of movement at Grove is huge, so as long as I still believe in the project, I’m happy to. I don’t want it to wait, but I’m happy to wait.”

READ MORE – How Aston Martin is preparing for the challenge of F1 2026

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Alex Albon has praised Williams boss James Vowles for transforming the Formula 1 team’s culture and for lifting a lingering “doom and gloom”.

The 46-year-old joined the Grove-based squad ahead of the 2023 season, with the team amid perhaps the lowest ebb of its recent history.

Vowles has steadied the ship, and with Albon leading the line in its driver rosters, Williams has shown signs of slow but sure progress.

And 2025 has most certainly been its headiest season in a long while, currently lying in fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship.

With Albon and Carlos Sainz managing to earn top 10 finishes in all but four of the 14 rounds, it currently has 70 points, more than in the last three seasons combined.

Albon is in no doubt that Vowles’ presence has ensured a complete change in mentality at the team from his first season there in 2021.

“The biggest thing is the culture of the team,” the Anglo-Thai driver told RacingNews365.

“You walk into Grove, it looks the same, but you go inside and it feels different.

“So, when I think about the biggest difference, it’s purely when I remember my first time at Williams.

“Going to the factory, no one was very confident, people were talking badly about themselves, which is never a good sign.

“Possibly a bit stuck in their old ways, and just a bit doom and gloom, really.”

Albon celebrates the ‘freedom’ and lack of ego at Williams

Albon explained that Vowles’ methodical approach to running the team has enabled and encouraged a feeling of “openness” within the ranks at Grove.

“So you get this feeling, he talks about this a lot, of breaking everything down and seeing how it builds back up,” he added.

“And so there’s a freedom and a kind of an openness to everything that we go about our racing, there’s no ego involved.

“And the feedback and the work that we do as drivers really gets taken on. And there’s just this energy to be better.

“And so I think that culture definitely wasn’t there when I first joined. And now it’s great because you have, I won’t call it a young team, but it’s been rejuvenated in terms of it’s just, it’s energy, it’s a really exciting place to be.”

READ MORE – Williams reveals the precise moment development fully switched to 2026 F1 car

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Williams boss James Vowles has branded Alex Albon a “completely different animal” compared to his ill-fated stint with Formula 1 rivals Red Bull.

The Anglo-Thai driver was signed by the Grove-based squad for the 2022 season, having spent the previous year out of F1 after his unsuccessful stint with the Austrian giants.

Albon has been a constant presence within the team as it has slowly morphed from back-of-the-grid no-hopers to midfield hopefuls.

It may have been considered a gamble of sorts to hire Albon after his Red Bull sidelining, which saw his F1 career at a crossroads.

But Vowles has seen the progression in the 29-year-old, and said his performances have prompted the team to ensure he is given a car worthy of matching his capabilities.

“I would say first and foremost, Alex, I think I’ve described this fairly aptly, but in 23, he took a major step up and then he’s stepped up every year,” he told media including Motorsport Week. “That’s my impression of him.

“He has stepped up every year, but he’s always been immensely quick.

“Our first job is making sure we provide him a car that’s able to achieve the results, which is what we’ve done, I believe, this year for the first time.

“Second to that, the way I adjudicate Alex is he hasn’t really put a foot wrong.

“I struggle to look at a race where, or a qualifying where, he hasn’t done what’s required of him where has been our influence as a result of that.

“And even when things go wrong, he’s so incredibly mentally strong that he deals with it and comes back the next day and wants more.

“So answering the question, yes, I see an Alex that is absolutely flying at the right level. And we know that Carlos is a benchmark. That’s a fact. And Alex is performing relatively well.”

Williams praises Albon for mental resilience

Vowles acknowledged that his time at Red Bull saw him, like those before and since, fail to match the speed of its outright number one driver, Max Verstappen.

When asked if he miscalculated the amount of progression he has made, Vowles used the Dutchman as a benchmark, saying “if you put him up against Max today, he would be a completely different animal to what was there before.”

“And I think that’s the clear element behind him,” he added. “And the way I’m perhaps adjudicating him isn’t just about how fast he is in the car, because that’s how he always has been, but actually how resilient he is to other things going wrong around you and how strong he is in that circumstance.

“That’s what I meant by he’s delivering every time.

“So I think his peak level, which is probably how he’s due to get himself, has he gone up a lot? Probably not.

“Is the ability to get there every time there? Yes, that’s what I’m seeing.”

READ MORE – The measure Williams has taken to help drivers prepare for brand-new 2026 F1 cars

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Alex Albon has candidly opened up about his time at Red Bull and where he failed against four-time Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen.

The 2019 season turned out to be a breakthrough season for rookie Albon as his results with Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls) earned him a surprise promotion to Red Bull.

A decision was made to replace the misfiring Pierre Gasly midway through the campaign to install the Anglo-Thai driver alongside Verstappen.

And while he fared decently well against the Dutchman that year, all eyes were on him in his sophomore year against Verstappen.

Despite two podium finishes, Albon could only finish seventh in the Drivers’ Championship, lagging behind his team-mate by a whopping 109 points.

He was let go by the Milton Keynes-based squad at the end of the season in favour of the more experienced Sergio Perez.

Looking back, Albon conceded that he might have been pushed into the limelight a tad too soon.

“So when I was with Max, I was so consumed in just myself trying to improve,” he told RacingNews365.

“And a lot of that was kind of just digging myself into data and understanding, ‘Okay, why… How can Max do this?’ And ‘How do I drive around these issues, and how does he feel there?’

“But I was inexperienced, so I didn’t really know the right questions to ask in many ways, and I never really got on top of it.”

How Red Bull axe saved Albon’s F1 career

After getting the boot by Red Bull, Albon was forced to sit out the 2021 season on the sidelines.

But Williams gave him a second chance when it signed him to partner with Nicholas Latifi for 2022.

Since then, the 29-year-old has not finished behind his team-mate in overall standings – a trend he seems to be keeping up even with Carlos Sainz this season.

14 rounds into the season so far, Albon is comfortably ahead of the Spanish driver by a margin of 38 points, leading the Grove-based team’s charge to lead the midfield.

Albon went on to explain how his time off from the sport benefited him. Today, he is confident that he can go toe-to-toe against a proven Grand Prix winner in Sainz.

“I talk a lot about my year out,” he continued.

“[It] kind of allowed me a bit more time to get on top of it before I got back in, and then with Carlos, it’s more: I do have the bandwidth, I do have the mental space, and I do have the knowledge to understand.”

READ MORE – How Carlos Sainz has already made a ‘big impact’ at Williams

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Alex Albon has revealed that Williams has set up an “active working group” to ensure that he and Carlos Sainz are best prepared to tackle Formula 1’s new 2026 rules.

The impending overhaul will see simultaneous changes to the chassis and engine regulations in a revamp that is considered among the biggest in the sport’s history.

There have been widespread reservations in several quarters, though, about the anticipated reduction in cornering speeds and the revised energy deployment system.

On the latter, Williams boss James Vowles has cautioned that work must be done across the upcoming months to alleviate the workload on the drivers in the cockpit.

Albon, who has experienced both the current and previous generation cars, has admitted that the 2026 challengers will be incomparable to what has come previously.

“I think it will be different to anything we’ve used before,” Albon told media including Motorsport Week.

“We will get used to it, that’s the job of the driver, but it is going to take some getting used to.”

Albon predicts increased winter simulator usage

Albon has predicted drivers will dedicate more time to the simulator over the winter break in order to get up to speed prior to their inaugural run in the actual 2026 car.

“Let’s just say, for example, our winter breaks that we spend, I don’t think it will be spent as casually as it was the previous few years where we’re training,” he added.

“I think there’s going to be so much more attention on simulator work that we’re going to be doing over the winter and making sure that we understand how it all works and trying different driving styles and things to make it work.”

Albon has divulged that Williams has established a group that is devoted to helping develop the understanding that he and Sainz have about the next-generation cars.

“I know, for example, at Williams we have an active working group,” the Anglo-Thai driver elaborated.

“We’re just working on how we can prepare the drivers as best as we can, giving us as much information and as much preparation as possible for next year.”

READ MORE – Alex Albon reveals how F1 drivers can ‘abuse the system’ of 2026 regulations

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Alex Albon has outlined the three specific factors that have contributed to him sustaining a “standout” season with Williams in Formula 1 in 2025.

The Anglo-Thai driver lies in eighth place in the Drivers’ Championship with 54 points, the highest-placed of the drivers in the so-called midfield teams.

Despite finishing 15th last time out at the Hungarian Grand Prix, it was only the second time this season that Albon has been outside the top 10 in races he’s finished.

But although three retirements have blunted his progress, Albon has questionably enjoyed more luck than team-mate Carlos Sainz, who sits 16th with just 16 points.

Asked how much of a boost it is for him to have performed well against such an accomplished team-mate, and about previous comments from Sainz in which he was quoted as saying he does not get enough credit, Albon affirmed his belief that his entire Williams tenure has been positive, regardless of who has been in the opposite garage.

“Yes, maybe more validation to you than to me,” he told media including Motorsport Week.

“I feel like I’ve always had quite a strong time at Williams. I feel like I got comfortable pretty quickly.”

What has inspired Albon’s strongest season to date?

Albon also cited his short-lived period with Red Bull earlier in his career – where he lasted 18 months alongside Max Verstappen – as a significant milestone in his progression.

“I learnt a lot from my time at Red Bull and then I just gained experience and I got stronger and stronger every year,” he added.

He was also quick to give credit to the personnel back at Grove, who have produced the FW47, undoubtedly Williams’ strongest package since his arrival in 2022.

“This year looks like a standout year. I say it a lot, but I think the team have done a fantastic job to give me the car to be able to deliver the results,” he continued.

“It seems to keep going at the moment. It feels like we’ve just had a good run of it. I’m comfortable in the car, and I feel like the car is way more predictable to drive.

“It’s easier to drive on the limit. We’re not getting these snaps and things, which I think last year you could see sometimes would put us in a wall and things like that.

“It builds confidence and then you can just exploit the car more and more.

“Once you’re really comfortable with the car, you can deliver good races, consistent races, which is what we’ve been doing this year.”

READ MORE – Alex Albon reveals how F1 drivers can ‘abuse the system’ of 2026 regulations

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Alex Albon has said that the smartest Formula 1 drivers can “abuse the system” and will adapt best to the cars of next year’s new regulations.

2026 will see a new look F1 in which cars will adhere to a new set of rules, including new tyres, chassis designs and an equally-split hybrid power unit.

There is also a significant drop in downforce and drag in the cars in a bid to improve handling, with the machines also said to be higher-revving during cornering.

This has led to some scepticism about how popular the cars will be, with Charles Leclerc giving a less-than-positive report after his initial simulator run earlier in the summer.

Albon told media including Motorsport Week of his experience so far, concluding that the cars will be even more cognitively taxing on the drivers.

“It’s difficult to drive. The load on the driver mentally is high as well,” the Anglo-Thai driver said.

“It’s quite important to know how to use the engine and the deployment and you have to learn a different driving style, but it’s part of the regulations.

“It’s technology at the end of the day. So on our side, I wasn’t that shocked by the car, the performance of the car.

“It was more just getting my head around the PU and understanding how to make the most of that.”

Albon: ‘I just want good racing’

Albon added that the cars won’t necessitate vastly different driving styles, ruling out the possibility of lift and coast being a common practice, despite the increased electrification.

“In the end I just want good racing,” he said. “We all just want good racing. I’m not sure the speeds of the cars or the way that they’re driven is going to change too much.

“I don’t think it’s become kind of Formula E style where you know you’re getting these massive lift and coast sessions and all these kinds of things.

“But I don’t think it will change too much.“

However, there will be a difference in overall drivability, which will separate the wheat from the chaff, according to Albon.

“I’m not moaning. I’m just saying it’s different. Like it’s really different to drive,” the Williams driver concluded.

“The drivers that are really going to go well on this are the ones that can be really adaptable.

“You’re gonna have to have a very open-minded approach to how to drive these cars, and I believe that the drivers who have the capacity to drive and understand how to drive them.

“Even these cars now we are driving them flat out. 

“You have a bit of PU clipping and all these kinds of things, but for next year it’s going to be a bit more of a complete package as to how you get to that.

“There is a lot that the driver has to do. I don’t think it will always just purely be around how good the driver is around the corner.

“A driver who’s quite smart and can understand the system and abuse the system, to understand how it works and becomes efficient on it, they’re going to find performance in that as well.”

READ MORE – New Renault CEO delivers verdict on Alpine’s F1 future

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Alex Albon has laid the blame for Formula 1’s wet weather struggles squarely on the current generation of cars, insisting it’s the design that makes racing in heavy rain nearly impossible.

The Williams driver pushed back against critics who say drivers are overly cautious and made to “look weak” for speaking up — arguing that when you can’t see more than a few metres ahead at full speed, caution isn’t just understandable, it’s essential.

Once again, treacherous wet conditions at Spa-Francorchamps sparked fierce debate over the challenges of racing in the rain in F1.

Many drivers criticised the FIA for delaying the start of the Belgian Grand Prix, claiming the governing body was too hesitant and waited too long for the track to dry before allowing racing.

But Albon’s main concern wasn’t with the timing of the start or the tyres — it was the current generation of cars and how much spray they produce, making visibility nearly impossible.

When asked if anything could be done to improve visibility, the 29-year-old was candid and unreserved in sharing his thoughts.

“I think we’ve tried – it’s not an issue that we haven’t left neglected,” he told media including Motorsport Week.

“I do think these generation of cars are the biggest reason why – I hope next year at least a lot of that will go away.”

When asked what’s the point of having full Wet tyres if they’re never used, Albon agreed but argued the issue isn’t the tyres themselves.

“Yeah, I would say I agree, but I think the people who are most vocal about not driving are the drivers,” he added.

“We are vocal when we think it’s ready to go and when we think it was time. But at the moment, the full Wet tyre and the conditions of the tracks don’t align.

“The tracks are too wet. It’s not the tyres that are not good enough, it’s just that we can’t see.”

Why wet weather racing remains a tough call for drivers and FIA

Albon also highlighted how drivers often get misunderstood for voicing concerns about visibility.

“Unfortunately, we’re the only ones that can truly tell you what this is,” he said. “So I think the drivers are actually put in a bit of an awkward position in that sense because we look weak.

“We look like the ones that are complaining and that we should just get on with it. Whereas I think a good example would have been Isack [Hadjar] and Kimi [Antonelli] in Silverstone.

“It’s the worst feeling driving at 250 kilometres an hour and not being able to see 20 metres in front of you.

“I think the FIA listens to us very closely, and they do monitor and they’re always looking for solutions and potential areas they can improve to help us.

“But yeah, it’s a really awkward conversation because I agree with you. The Wets are fine to go racing. On the Wets, on a clear track, we would be totally fine. But at the moment, these cars are producing a huge amount of spray.”

When asked if there’s much that can be done to improve visibility in wet races, especially when running closely in a pack, Albon was frank about the challenges involved.

“Yeah, it’s tricky, I think there’s a few things,” he explained. “For example, we do like to do standing starts and we’re always pushing for standing starts, which puts on the show, but then it does make the issue worse.

“I think we did a decent job to do a rolling start for Spa at least. I think it’s almost like an impossible job for the FIA. We’ve historically seen some very severe life-threatening crashes in the wet, and to make that call, I don’t think any of us would want to be in their positions to do them.

“I honestly think we just have to see how the new regs go. Hopefully, the spray is going to improve as a consequence. I think it will.”

READ MORE – Alex Albon surprised by Red Bull parting with Christian Horner

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Williams’ Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz have agreed that the FW47 has become faster with new upgrades, but is also harder to drive, after promise shown at this weekend’s Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix.

The Grove-based squad opted to arrive at Spa-Francorchamps with a new and extensive upgrade package, focusing on floor fences and a new floor edge.

It seemed to pay dividends in the Sprint Race for Sainz, taking sixth place after a strong qualifying showing.

Despite Albon finishing 15th, he was able to turn things around in qualifying, qualifying an amazing fifth.

The Anglo-Thai driver set a blistering lap late in Q3 to qualify ahead of George Russell’s Mercedes, and will line up just one place behind Max Verstappen.

“I mean, I was P10 in Q2 and I didn’t feel that happy,” he told media including Motorsport Week. “I didn’t really know where the lap time was, where I could get more positions, let’s say.”

Albon was celebrating making it into Q3, thinking that was the limit, but then exceeded all expectations with a great lap to be within touching distance of the leaders at lights out.

“We were so far on the draggy side that we’re still okay. We remember Silverstone.

“I think it was the Red Bulls and ourselves, we were quite well-endowed for this. We paid the price when it rained on Sunday. So, we made sure not to overdo it.”

“But yeah, hopefully we’ll be okay. I still think, as a team, we struggle a bit more in the wet compared to some other cars out there.

“So, if we can stay dry as long as possible, that’d be lovely.”

Sainz said that Williams has “gone in the right direction, they’ve given us laptime and performance, yesterday and today shows,” but added the the FW47 is a “trickier car to drive in some ways, but definitely when you put it together it feels a step forward.

“I think we’re going in the right direction.”

Albon corroborates Sainz’s car ‘trickier but faster’ belief

The question was put to Albon about Sainz’s assertion on the cars, and corroborated the Spaniard’s take on it.

“Yeah, I would say so,” he said. “I think we obviously haven’t done enough laps yet to really set up the car into a perfect place.

“I think a lot of that will come back to us just with set-up changes. Being a Sprint Race weekend, we haven’t really been able to do much. We’ve got more downfalls.

“But yeah, I think we need to see. Because it hasn’t been the easiest weekend so far just to get laps together.”

Albon added that his belief that “our race pace is strong. It’s hard to know because I’ve been in DRS trains the whole race this morning. But our race pace was good on Friday. 

“I think we’ll be okay. We just need to get some clear air. I hope maybe the cars can clear off and I can do my race.”

READ MORE – George Russell: Mercedes has taken ‘big step backwards’ amid F1 Belgian GP struggles

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Alex Albon has expressed surprise at Christian Horner’s split from Red Bull, highlighting the vast amount of “success” that he achieved leading the team in Formula 1.

The Williams driver raced under Horner during his brief stint with the Milton Keynes-based outfit from mid-2019 to 2020.

Albon began his F1 career within the Red Bull family, initially racing for sister team Toro Rosso before being promoted to the main squad to partner Max Verstappen.

His time under Horner was turbulent, with multiple crashes and inconsistent performances ultimately leading to his exit and replacement by Sergio Perez ahead of 2021.

The 29-year-old returned to the sport in 2022 with Williams and is currently enjoying one of his best seasons yet in 2025, sitting eighth overall with 46 points to his name.

Following Horner’s departure, Albon spoke publicly for the first time ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, admitting that he was taken aback when the news dropped.

“Yeah, yeah I was,” he told media including Motorsport Week when asked if he was surprised by Horner’s exit.

“I think, obviously, he’s someone who’s helped me a lot in my Formula 1 career.

“And, yeah, obviously he’s been in the sport for a long time, with a lot of success. So, you could say he’s built that team up.”

Laurent Mekies has replaced Horner having vacated his role with Racing Bulls, while Alan Permane has since succeeded him at the helm of the Faenza-based squad.

Albon reflects on Horner’s impact as Red Bull faces a new era

Turning back to Horner, Albon was asked what made the erstwhile team principal so successful in building Red Bull into a multiple-time championship-winning outfit.

He reflected on Horner’s leadership style and ability to assemble a strong, lasting team.

“Obviously, I joined quite late into the Christian Horner era, let’s say,” he added.

“So, on my side, it was clear that he had his people and he brought everyone up together.

“I think that there was a lot of long-standing members at Red Bull who were there for a long time, and still are to this day as well.

“They seem to have a good knack for finding the right people and then building a good circle around.

“They seem to chip away at it and very quickly get to the top. I guess that’s a part of his success.”

As Red Bull presses on without Horner at the helm, the challenge will be maintaining the strong foundation he built with his trusted team.

The Belgian GP, along with next weekend’s round in Hungary, will offer a first glimpse into how the team operates going forward this season.

READ MORE – McLaren CEO surprised by ‘timing’ but not ‘result’ of Christian Horner Red Bull axe

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