Alex Albon reveals how Max Verstappen lessons shaped Williams’ F1 setup

Alex Albon has revealed how racing alongside Max Verstappen gave him key insights into F1 car setup, which have helped him during his time at Williams.

Albon is enjoying his best F1 season to date at Williams, scoring 70 points in the opening 16 races.

The Thai driver has outperformed highly-rated teammate Carlos Sainz since his arrival from Ferrari.

Albon’s true level of performance since his Red Bull exit was unclear due to the identity of his previous teammates.

Nicholas Latifi and Logan Sargeant struggled during their respective Williams stints, while Franco Colapinto pushed Albon hard despite his limited F1 experience last year.

It’s been an impressive turnaround for Albon, who was dropped by Red Bull at the end of 2020.

Albon was replaced by Sergio Perez for 2021 after struggling alongside Verstappen.

Reflecting on his time alongside the Dutchman, Albon spoke about what he learned during his 18 months at Red Bull.

“I wasn’t in the headspace. I was so focused on myself at the time to improve, and I didn’t really have the experience to digest it all in the moment,” Albon said on the P1 with Matt and Tommy podcast.

“So even if I went through the same thing I did now, I’d be able to really focus on where is he truly gaining his lap time and why, how is he able to execute and be so consistent with a car that felt to me so, so peaky.

“But yeah, I did learn. I learned his raw speed and I learned… sounds a really weird thing to say but why is the car that he drives quick to drive? Like what is it about going in that setup direction that gets lap time.”

Verstappen influence on Williams

Williams have scored more points in 2025 than they did across 2014 to 2018, highlighting their upwards trajectory under James Vowles.

That’s despite Williams’ focus being on the new rules in 2026.

Albon also revealed that he took what he learned from Verstappen’s feedback to improve Williams’ car setup when he joined the team in 2022.

Verstappen notoriously likes an aggressive front end, which in turn makes the rear less stable.

“I remember when I first went to Williams, I was like, well, this car is way more stable, but it’s not always quick,” Albon added.

“You’re losing lap time in certain corners because it’s too stable, let’s say. So we kind of pushed it more towards a bit more of an edgier car, and we got more lap time out of it. I feel like I’ve learned a lot in that process.”