Alex Albon believes the arrival of Carlos Sainz at Williams will assist him to raised show his personal expertise stage by eradicating the burden that got here from being the benchmark himself because the workforce’s skilled driver.
Sainz opted to hitch Williams for 2025 after Ferrari signed Lewis Hamilton to switch him, the Spaniard making the transfer off the again of 4 victories for the Scuderia. Albon has been at Williams since 2022, partnering Nicholas Latifi in his first season and latterly Logan Sargeant and Franco Colapinto, and the 28-year-old believes Sainz would be the reference level he must cement his personal repute.
“I prefer it — it’s an ideal problem,” Albon informed RACER. “I believe Carlos is coming in with a variety of pedigree. I believe he’s had a unbelievable season as properly in opposition to Charles [Leclerc], who we all know is an especially robust driver.
“For myself, it’s nice to have the ability to have somebody who I can immediately examine in opposition to. I really feel prefer it’s at all times been a little bit of a burden to me in some methods as a result of I really feel like nobody actually is aware of the place I stand. I’ve that confidence in myself that I’m fairly good.”
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Albon admits his personal expertise of the Purple Bull setup is prone to be usurped by Sainz’s newer historical past at Ferrari, and thinks that can assist push Williams because it seems to be to maneuver ahead in 2025 and ’26.
“I’m glad that Carlos is there … simply what he brings to Williams goes to be actually essential to us,” he mentioned. “That have that he has, the information of being in a prime workforce like Ferrari that’s performing properly week in, week out.
“Once I joined Williams from Purple Bull, clearly there was lots that I wanted to present and wished to present to enhance the workforce. However I’ve now been within the workforce for 3 years and as a lot as I nonetheless push and put the workforce right into a route that I believe is required, having that recent mindset into it, I believe is barely going to be useful.
“For me as properly, as a teammate, I believe I’m going to be very open-eared — simply wanting to listen to what he has to say in regards to the automobile, but in addition what route he believes we have to go in.”
