A Bitter End
Five top-10 finishes over the course of a season, for a total of 17 points. All results achieved with two drivers, one of whom replaced Logan Sargeant and sparked a phenomenon in South America, with rumors briefly suggesting him as a potential successor to Sergio Perez at Red Bull—speculation that faded over time following a few errors.
Williams’ 2024 season, finishing second-to-last in the Constructors’ standings, seemed reliant on strong performances from Alex Albon and the experience of Team Principal James Vowles. This held true in the first half of the season before significant changes took shape, including the signing of Carlos Sainz for 2025, new sponsorships, and the promotion of 21-year-old Argentine Franco Colapinto. The young driver managed to score points in Baku and Texas, igniting “Colapinto Mania” on social media, where fans now clamour for his permanent promotion to Williams in 2025. However, he will remain the team’s third driver.
Meanwhile, Franco Colapinto ended his last race of the season in Abu Dhabi with a retirement, his third after Brazil and Qatar, caused by a technical issue: “Retiring wasn’t how I wanted to finish the last race of the season,” he explained. “I had a good start and was trying to see the race through, but Piastri hit me, causing a puncture and some damage. We still had good pace after the tire change, but unfortunately, we had to retire the car due to a suspected PU issue. The last two races have been really unlucky for me. It wasn’t the end to the season I wanted, but that’s part of Formula 1. It was still a dream come true, but of course, I would have liked to finish as we started. I’ve worked to race in F1 since I was very young, and I’m very grateful to everyone at Williams for giving me the chance to drive in these last nine races.”
Alex Albon, on the other hand, came very close to the points, narrowly missing out on a top-10 finish and ending 11th: “With ten laps to go, I thought it would be difficult to hold on,” he said. “The tire grip stayed fairly strong, but the temperatures dropped. Once the track started cooling, I couldn’t drive fast enough to maintain tire temperature, so it felt like I was doing qualifying laps for about 25 laps to the end, making the race very physical. It’s a shame we couldn’t reward the team with a points finish.
My assessment of the season is that it was one of missed opportunities. It’s easy to focus on this latter part of the season and the incidents, but realistically we started with an overweight car when we should have been fighting for points. We had only one major update because our plan was always to focus on the future, and naturally, many teams passed us as the season progressed.
In the end, I’m not too upset because I’m here for the long term, and I know that as a team, we’re not interested in being the best of the midfield. We’re working now for the future to return to fighting for wins and championships, and I believe in this journey we’re on. I thank Franco for being a great teammate. He earned his place in F1 during these remaining races, and I’m sure I’ll see him soon somewhere on the starting grid.”
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