Alex Albon Outlines His 2025 Expectations as Williams FW47 Car Revealed

As Formula One gears up for another season, Alexander Albon is setting his sights on the future with the recent unveiling of the Williams FW47. Despite it being an icy cold day at Silverstone in England, Albon was optimistic about the upcoming 2025 season.

The initial test run of the FW47 was given to Carlos Sainz, the newest addition to the Williams team. This opportunity preceded Albon's drive.

For 2025, the Thai-British driver is optimistic about Williams' chances of progressing in the Constructor Standings. His realistic outlook suggests that the Grove squad will likely compete within the mid-tier teams instead of breaking into the top-tier ranks.

Talking with select media, including sports Illustrated, he said the following:

"I am interested to start. I think that is going to be really tight. That's all I can really say for the moment," Albon admitted

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The recent Abu Dhabi race has been a key point of reference for the emerging competitive grid. Albon sees it as a sign of tightening competition between teams, particularly noting the advances of teams like Alpine and Sauber towards the end of the season.

He anticipates 2025 to present the closest competition in Formula One's history. "I think Abu Dhabi, the last race was a good reflection of the grid closing up, and there was a few teams like Alpine and Sauber that brought updates. I think it will be the tightest grid in Formula One history, I imagine, this year. So that will be exciting," Albon teased.

Reflecting on the top-performing teams, Albon maintained a realistic view on the continued dominance of Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes. However, he hopes Williams can edge closer to the front of the midfield pack.

"I think up at the front, I don't think we'll quite be there. I feel like with how McLaren ended their year, it's going to be a really interesting year ahead," he said.

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Albon is eager to push Williams to contend in the upper half of the midfield this year. His comments reflect an expectation of a tightly packed field, with the gap between midfield and top teams potentially shrinking.

"I'd like to be fighting up at the top half of that midfield fight. We'll see how big of a midfield fight there is this year. I think it's going to be closer even to the top teams, I'm hoping," he conitnu.

In terms of improvements, he's moving his focus from immediate race results to addressing concerns like timing, weight, and delays that forced them to struggle last season. He pointed out the importance of laying a strong groundwork for the new regulations expected in 2026.

"It's not so much result-based as you would expect. I think that last year, if you just look at where we were in terms of timing and being late and being overweight, these kinds of areas were fundamental to be fixed for this year, and I feel like we've already started in a much better position. There's loads of other examples, but they're the kind of things that I want to see improved for this year, because I think it's what's going to create the foundation for a better 2026."

The 2024 season was challenging for Williams, finishing ninth in the Constructors' Championship with only 17 points. Reliability issues, accidents, and a costly driver change highlighted a problematic year. Financially, the team faced substantial issues due to the expenses incurred from crash-related damages. However, with Carlos Sainz joining on a multi-year deal and Albon leading the charge for improvement, Williams is setting a course for change.

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