Alex Albon admits he’s “surprised” people in F1 paddock by out-performing Carlos Sainz

Alex Albon has admitted that his impressive performances in the first half of the 2025 F1 season have “surprised” people in the paddock.

Heading into the new campaign, many expected Carlos Sainz to get the better of Albon.

Sainz was coming into Williams on the back of arguably his strongest season at Ferrari.

There were still lingering question marks over Albon’s level of performance since leaving Red Bull.

Nicholas Latifi and Logan Sargeant proved to be no threat to Albon.

Franco Colapinto put Albon under immediate pressure when he was drafted in for the final phase of last season.

Since Sainz’s arrival, Albon has responded by being the clear standout performer at Williams.

Speaking on the Beyond the Grid podcast, Albon highlighted the positives of having a teammate of Sainz’s calibre.

Yes, I do [think perceptions have changed],” he said. “It was easy to dismiss me for my teammates. That was an easy scapegoat to say, ‘Well, he’s doing well, but we don’t know how to quantify him as a driver’.

“When James [Vowles, team principal] spoke to me early on about Carlos joining, I was in two positive mindsets. The first one was, he’s going to be a huge asset to the team with all his experience and him being a quick driver.

“The second was, I feel like he’s a credible reference that I can go into. I genuinely want to see how I stack up against a driver like Carlos.

“I was confident in who I was, but I think I maybe have surprised some of the paddock. I don’t think the people that know were surprised – this sounds a bit arrogant – but internally in Williams, or the ones I’ve driven for in the past.”

Albon explains Sainz’s difficulties

Sainz has spoken openly about the adaptation process and how you have to change your driving style when driving a Williams instead of a Ferrari.

Albon conceded that his experience at Williams since 2022 gives him an advantage in knowing how to drive around certain limitations. 

“We know each other’s styles quite well,” Albon added. “The main difference we’ve had is that I have a driving style where I drive around some of the car limitations. I think that’s come from a lot of years of driving the Williams car and accepting it.

“I think Carlos is more, ‘I want to drive like this, and you guys have got to give me this’. But in the same context, we’re still talking about the same things. I would say that’s the nuance between us.”