For years, Williams was the laughing stock of Formula 1. The nine-time constructors’ champions have fallen on hard times in the 2000s. However, James Vowles seems to have the team going in the right direction.
After finishing P9 in the constructor’s in 2024, Vowels has Williams all the way up in P5 at the summer break. They’ve made an incredible turn around, and while they’ve been a bit inconsistent recently, they’re confident they can hold onto fifth place.
Alex Albon declares 2025 Williams’ best season in a long time
Alex Albon is in his fifth season with Williams. He’s been there through some tough times, including a P10 finish in 2022. But he’s seen a steady rise in competitiveness each year he’s been with the team, and thinks 2025 is their best yet.
“It’s been Williams’ best season in a long time. We’ve made huge steps,” Albon told The Chris Moyles Show. “We really have come a long way, and it just seems to be getting better and better every year. I don’t think there’s a Formula 1 team that’s had the same rate of progress that we’ve had consistently.”
Albon also said Williams’ goal is to hold onto P5 in the constructors’. They took a pretty big lead over the midfield, but a poor stretch of form has brought the pack closer to them. He still seems confident that they can get back on track and secure fifth place.
“The goal is to finish fifth in the constructors’. We’ve been a little bit inconsistent these past few races, but it should be possible.”
Williams currently holds an 18-point lead over Aston Martin for P5 in the constructors’ championship. Kick Sauber is close as well, sitting just one point behind Aston Martin. It will be a close battle, but Williams has the early edge over the rest of the midfield.
The rise of Williams
From 2014 to 2017, Williams placed P5 or higher in the constructors’ championship each year. But they’ve fallen hard since then, placing P10 in 2018, 2019 and 2020. They were able to secure P8 in 2021, but fell back down to P10 in 2022 – Albon’s first season.
Since then, they’ve secured a P7 finish in 2023 and a P9 finish in 2024. That’s not where they want to be, but Albon and the team have seen progress, especially since James Vowles stepped in at the beginning of last year.
After Carlos Sainz was dropped by Ferrari, Vowels made a huge push to sign the Spaniard. Other teams such as Sauber/Audi and Alpine made a charge, but in the end, Vowles persuaded Sainz to sign with Williams.
While Sainz hasn’t performed to his standard this season, Albon has put together arguably the best season of his career. In 14 races, Albon has scored 54 of Williams’ 70 points and has three P5 finishes.
James Vowles has Williams on the come-up. With everyone starting over from scratch in 2026, Williams could surprise everyone and be one of the top contenders next season.
