Alex Albon explains Mercedes advantage Williams have gained and sends warning

22 September 2023 , 06:00

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Alex Albon has revealed the impact team principal James Vowles has had on the team (Image: Getty Images)

Williams gained a brilliant mind from Mercedes when they pinched James Vowles to be their team principal for the 2023 season.

Vowles has over two decades worth of experience in Formula 1, with 12 of those years coming at the Silver Arrows, helping the team win eight consecutive constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles.

And Williams' lead driver Alex Albon says Vowles' presence has given the team a much-needed shot of confidence. "There's been a shift, for sure," Albon exclusively told .

"The experience [Vowles] has from Mercedes has gone down really well. As a team that finished tenth in the constructors' last year, to be able to have that experience and the knowledge from a team that's won multiple championships means a lot, especially because in some areas it's a direction that we can go down and learn from.

"And in other ways, it's a confidence boost to know that we are doing things just as well as Mercedes, it's just trying to get the other areas where we're lacking, and we can only improve.

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"I think James has clearly got a vision; he knows the areas where we need a bit of work. He also knows the areas where he can leave people alone, and departments alone when he knows really good stuff is being done."

Vowles' Williams currently sits seventh in the constructors' championship but are locked in a fierce battle with three other teams. The higher the finish, the higher the prize money. Albon has been Williams' chief points winner, with team-mate Logan Sargeant yet to record a top-ten finish.

That isn't expected to be too far away, though, with Williams' car showing impressive straight-line speed in recent race weekends, which has seen Albon and Williams collect 21 points. "It's gone pretty well [season so far]," Albon added.

Williams pinched James Vowles from serial-winners Mercedes (Getty)

"I've got to say that the car has improved a lot as well so it goes hand-in-hand. The car is there to be driven well if that makes sense. It feels like we've made such a big step as a team and I don't think I've changed so much in my driving, but the results are better because the car's in a better place. So far so good.

"I have to say, just making progress as well, for a team like us Williams, that's really our main objective and we're certainly doing that. We're one of the teams who have made the most progress so I'd give us an A."

Haas, Alfa Romeo, and AlphaTauri are the three teams Albon says are hot on Williams' heels for a top-seven finish. AlphaTauri, in particular, brought significant upgrades at last week's race in Singapore, which saw rookie stand-in Liam Lawson score his first world championship points with a ninth-placed finish.

Alexander Albon and Logan Sargeant are the duo hoping to push Williams up the constructors' standings (Getty)

"I think we can't really take our foot off the gas as our main goal is to finish seventh in the constructors' championship," Albon warned. "There's a lot more prize money in that compared to eighth, ninth, and tenth. We've got three teams hot on our tail bringing upgrades and we've got to try and stay ahead of them - that's quite a tough ask.

"We've seen it in the last race, one of our competitors, AlphaTauri, had quite a substantial upgrade. So, it's not going to be easy and for us to stay ahead we're going to have to score more points, we can't do the second half of the season without any points."

Vowles revealed his plans for Williams in an exclusive chat earlier this month, with the F1 team chief stressing the importance of being able to walk before you can run, especially with massive car changes coming in 2026. "The decision was made a long time ago that I'm not interested in '23 and I’m not interested in ‘24 either, for that matter," Vowles said.

Alex Albon has 21 championship points in 2023 (Getty)

"We'll make a step, but I'm interested in putting in place the mechanisms and the systems that allow us to be performant by 2026. You simply can't run on the treadmill as quickly in the current years and still do the following years.

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"You've got to put more focus on the future than you do on today, which is not the same as what can be applied to pretty much most other teams on this grid. I'm comfortable with that."

F1 now heads to Suzuka, Japan, a track notorious for its brutal weather conditions. Albon didn't have the best of luck at the race last time out, failing to finish the race due to car failures.

Joshua Mbu