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 staff’s skilled driver.
Sainz opted to hitch Williams for 2025 after Ferrari signed Lewis Hamilton to exchange 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 fame.
“I prefer it — it’s a terrific problem,” Albon informed RACER. “I feel Carlos is coming in with plenty of pedigree. I feel he’s had a improbable season as effectively towards Charles [Leclerc], who we all know is a particularly sturdy driver.
“For myself, it’s nice to have the ability to have somebody who I can instantly evaluate towards. 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.”
Albon admits his personal expertise of the Pink Bull setup is more likely to be usurped by Sainz’s newer historical past at Ferrari, and thinks that can assist push Williams because it appears to be like to maneuver ahead in 2025 and ’26.
“I’m glad that Carlos is there … simply what he brings to Williams goes to be actually necessary to us,” he stated. “That have that he has, the data of being in a high staff like Ferrari that’s performing effectively week in, week out.
“After I joined Williams from Pink Bull, clearly there was rather a lot that I wanted to offer and wished to offer to enhance the staff. However I’ve now been within the staff for 3 years and as a lot as I nonetheless push and put the staff right into a route that I feel is required, having that contemporary mindset into it, I feel is barely going to be useful.
“For me as effectively, as a teammate, I feel I’m going to be very open-eared — simply wanting to listen to what he has to say in regards to the automotive, but additionally what route he believes we have to go in.”
