The 2025 season was extraordinary for the historic British team: a fifth-place finish in the Constructors’ Championship has given immense confidence to the team, its drivers, and collaborators as they look ahead to 2026.
At the start of the championship, many teams were already looking toward 2026. Williams was particularly focused on this forward-looking vision. These were the words of James Vowles, team principal of Atlassian Williams Racing, at the start of the season: Destroy everything, I don’t care, what matters is learning and making mistakes to be best prepared for 2026.
Expectations for 2025 were far from high. Vowles had made clear statements, and given the disastrous previous season, everyone expected the team’s revival would not come before 2026.
The magic of Albon and Sainz with a cohesive team
The 2025 season began brilliantly with a fifth-place finish for Alex Albon in Australia under torrential rain. Because the rain made the race extremely chaotic, few realized Albon’s incredible achievement, attributing his result to the conditions. Nevertheless, the team’s performance continued to improve as the season progressed, thanks to excellent setups from the engineers and Albon’s outstanding form. Quickly, Williams’ season took off: Alex Albon was almost always in the points, finishing in the top five in two more races under dry conditions, without relying on dramatic circumstances. The FW47, despite lacking upgrades and being largely the same chassis as 2024, performed exceptionally under Alex Albon, often battling top teams in Grands Prix such as Miami and Imola.
The cherry on top came with the revival of Carlos Sainz. In Baku, he claimed an incredible podium, the first for him in almost five years. His season started far below Albon’s level, as the more temperamental Williams chassis compared to the SF24 he was used to unsettled him, and he still needed to adapt to the new team. The podium came like a bolt from the blue—unexpected, chaotic, yet thoroughly deserved.
Setting aside a few missed opportunities, Carlos Sainz’s end-of-season performance was stellar. After Baku, his confidence grew rapidly. He consistently scored points, outperformed Albon in every race after the summer break, and achieved a second remarkable podium in Qatar, on a circuit where the team had very low expectations. Surpassing 110 points, the fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship was mathematically confirmed with a few races remaining.
James Vowles’ team achieved its best championship finish in almost a decade, closing the season with two podiums and earning the reputation as the “king of the midfield.”
From last to top of the midfield
Looking back only a few years, particularly 2019, Williams was at an all-time low. The car arrived late for pre-season testing, performance was extremely poor, and financial conditions were dire. In 2021, a first glimmer of hope appeared at Spa, thanks not to the car but to George Russell’s incredible skills. The 2022 regulation changes brought a mild revival, thanks to Albon’s impressive performance in his first year with the team. In 2023, the mood lifted further, with the team scoring more points, again largely due to Albon’s efforts.
Rookie Logan Sargeant did not perform as expected, and in 2024 the team faced a severe crisis due to constant incidents from both drivers. In Australia, the third race of the season, the team was forced to run only one car due to the lack of a spare chassis for the second driver. Such incidents are extremely rare in Formula 1, the pinnacle of motorsport.
For all these reasons, Williams’ 2025 season was even more remarkable than it may seem. With a new title sponsor, Atlassian, joining in 2025, a new team principal, James Vowles, since 2024, and a motivated Carlos Sainz seeking redemption in 2025, Williams has proven the truth of the phrase “never give up”: with passion, consistency, and cohesion, results come.
Williams aren’t just back – they’re coming.
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