Alex Albon eyes podium breakthrough after Carlos Sainz success

Alex Albon has set his sights on scoring a maiden podium result with Williams after Carlos Sainz’s two trips to the top three last year.

Sainz joined Albon at the Grove-based squad last year but faced early-season struggles as he got up to speed at the team.

Albon scored a bulk of the points in the opening stage of the season, but as Sainz became more comfortable, he made notable steps and bagged two unexpected podiums in Azerbaijan and Qatar.

Albon is still waiting for his first podium with Williams through his four seasons with the team.

As the former champions continue to make steps forward after a period of hardship, Albon is eyeing up his own chance to claim a top-three result.

“I’m just very proud of the team, because I feel like each year we've been making steps forward, but it just seems to be that things are starting to click now and as a team, as a unit, we seem to be dialling in,” Albon told media including RacingNews365.

“The gap from P10 to P5 is smaller than the gap from P5 to P4. So we know that we've still got a long road ahead of us.

“But I'm hoping my podium chances come a little bit sooner rather than later.”

2025 was Albon's 'best season yet'

Albon ended the season eighth in the championship, producing Williams' highest position in the drivers' table in almost 10 years.

With 73 points, Albon scored more points during the 2025 campaign than the previous three years combined, scoring four top-five finishes during the year.

The results left him to label the season as his best with the Grove-based squad.

“I would say my best season yet, in many ways,” Albon said.

“Obviously the car takes credit for most of that. I said it before, I haven't changed so much my application into this year, but the car and what the guys and girls have done at the factory have made a huge step this year.

“I've been with this team for four years now and this has been clearly the biggest step out of the four years from year to year.

“It's been enjoyable, been fun to be able to race against some of the top teams at certain tracks.

“Towards the end of the year, not ideal, but generally the pace has been strong.

“I've made a couple of mistakes, Vegas and Baku stand out to me, but then the other ones have just been just not going my way, kind of what it was like for Carlos at the beginning of the year.”