Alexander Albon emerged as one of the standout performers of the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, delivering yet another solid race for the Williams Formula 1 team. The Anglo-Thai driver brought home a valuable sixth-place finish for the British outfit, capping off a weekend filled with confidence, consistency, and smart defensive driving—particularly in holding off Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in the final stages of the race.
Albon had already shown promising form in qualifying, securing an impressive fifth place on the grid in Saturday’s session. While Sunday’s race saw him lose some ground in the opening laps—particularly in the wet conditions that initially favoured other cars with different setups—he ultimately managed to stabilise his pace, hold position, and cross the finish line in sixth. It was a result that both reflected the progress of the Williams team and confirmed Albon’s growing reputation as one of the most consistent performers in the midfield.
Holding Off Lewis Hamilton
With Lewis Hamilton behind him in the final stint of the Grand Prix, Albon was under intense pressure, but he never buckled. Speaking after the race, the Williams driver expressed his satisfaction with the outcome: “I’m really happy. I managed to keep Lewis Hamilton behind me, which is never an easy task in any condition,” Albon said. “I struggled a little bit in the rain at the beginning, which is somewhat expected given our car’s characteristics, so I lost position to George Russell early on. But after that, the race stabilised, and we managed to hold our ground and finish strongly.”
The sixth-place result proved critical for the Constructors’ Championship standings, helping Williams maintain their fifth-place position and extending their advantage over Sauber. Albon added: “It was really important not to make mistakes, especially with a driver like Lewis Hamilton behind me. But I think the higher downforce configuration on his Ferrari worked slightly in our favour in those conditions. As a team, we executed the race very well—beating some of the top teams is never easy, and it’s great to see our overall package performing so competitively.”
Ferrari’s Wet Setup Backfires in Dry Conditions
Lewis Hamilton, driving for Scuderia Ferrari in the 2025 Formula 1 season, had opted for a high-downforce wet-weather setup before the start of the race. This decision was based on the heavy rainfall that had hit the Spa-Francorchamps circuit ahead of the Grand Prix. However, the strategic gamble meant he had to start the race from the pit lane—alongside Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso.
The move to alter the car’s configuration for extreme wet conditions, although bold, ultimately backfired when the race unfolded almost entirely on a dry track. Carlos Sainz, who also made the same strategic change, ended up finishing only 18th after a frustrating race in which he was unable to mount a proper comeback through the field.
Reflecting on the decision, Sainz explained: “After an expensive setup change before qualifying, our grid position was already compromised, so we took the risk to start from the pit lane and switch the car to a full wet configuration. Unfortunately, with the red flag coming out at the worst possible moment during the weather transition, the race ended up being dry, which clearly didn’t play to our strengths.”
Sainz also mentioned that additional problems hindered his race: “We had an issue with my pit stop, which made the race even more disappointing overall. That said, there are still positives to take from the weekend—the Sprint went really well, and today the new upgrade package worked very effectively on Alex Albon’s car. So I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do next weekend.”
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