Vowles 'the right man' to lead Williams back to the front says Albon

Alex Albon believes James Vowles is the right man to lead Williams back to the front of the grid and is adamant that the team is making progress this season.

Albon, who sits 18th in the Drivers' Championship, is in his second season with the British team, who have found themselves as consistent backmarkers in recent years.

But since Vowles took over as team principal in January 2023, the future has looked brighter, helped by the arrival of Carlos Sainz from Ferrari for the 2025 campaign.

Despite sitting ninth in the Constructors' Championship, four points ahead of Sauber, Albon is confident Vowles can lead the team back to the success they had in the 1990s.

“James [Vowles] has brought me into it,” Albon told Autosport. “He’s very straight. He doesn’t tell you things are better than they actually are, and I like that.

"I feel like whenever something's not come to plan he tells me the areas that the team needs to work on. He tells me if there's anything I can do to help.

"He is the right man for the job and I believe in him and feel like we've got the right people."

Zandvoort 2023 rewind When 4lex 4lbon put the FW45 on the second row during quali pic.twitter.com/VbdXUhL1lU
— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) August 20, 2024

Ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, the 28-year-old has contested 95 races in Formula 1, all without a single win, pole position and fastest lap.

Should he repeat that at Circuit Zandvoort this weekend, he will surpass Ukyo Katayama (also 95) and be the ninth-highest driver without achieving any of those in a Grand Prix.

Vowles' short tenure with the team, however, has set strong foundations for the future, with almost 300 new members of staff recruited, including former Alpine technical director Matt Harman.

Williams are also primarily focusing on 2026 and beyond, when an overhaul of aerodynamic and power unit regulations could reset the grid and give current underperforming teams the chance to rapidly progress up the order.

However, that does mean sacrificing their current results for the bigger picture, something which Albon acknowledged when asked how far away the team were away from challenging for a world title.

"If I am being totally honest, I don't see us being in position to fight for wins and titles for a while, but to do steps where we start nipping in and getting podiums and whatnot," Albon said.

"I believe that 2026 would be difficult, but winning in '27 would be much more realistic. We've got great investment, and we're recruiting very aggressively.

"But we don't need any encouragement. With the last couple of years, especially seeing that growth that we've had – of course we're going through a tougher time of it now – but that drive and that motivation in the team, it is really enjoyable to be part of that."