Albon, Williams' best start to the season in 10 years

At the finish of the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, the gaps were significant, to say the least. After the two McLaren, George Russell crossed the finish line almost 40 seconds behind the leaders. Then, Max Verstappen, poleman, then Alexander albon, took the checkered flag in very different states of mind.

Where, for the Dutchman, such a distant fourth place seems like a blow to his efforts, fifth place in a Williams in such a context is a just reward for the work accomplished. As in the opening round of the season in Melbourne, Alex Albon places himself behind a favorite leading quartet, and affirms his ability to be competitive on a machine finally capable of offering its riders battles worthy of the name.

« We're going to have to work hard because we're actually right behind the two Williams, lamented Charles Leclerc after qualifying for the Miami GP. And it's not a mistake or anything, it's regular." While this event may only be a one-off, there is no doubt about the current dynamic within Grove's stable.

Again, Williams' best days don't date back to the last decade. In 1997, Frank Williams' team won its last world championship through Jacques Villeneuve, and since then has been going through periods that are often more difficult than the last. However, the team led by Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa ten years ago, had what it took to achieve very good results.

Albon worthy of Bottas and Massa's debut in 2016

In fact, Alexander Albon is allowing fans of the Grove team to reminisce about his last few moments of glory. The first Williams driver to achieve at least two top-5 finishes in a single season since 2016, the Thai driver could even aim for a better total than Valtteri Bottas that same year. The Finn had actually finished in the top five four times.

Better still, Alex Albon is keeping pace in terms of points. With 29 points from six Grands Prix in 2016, Bottas has been surpassed by his counterpart this time around. The Thai driver has 30 points after six appearances in 2025, finishing outside the points only once, in Bahrain. To find a better start to a season at Williams, we have to go back a year, to 2015, to the 42 points scored by Valtteri Bottas. Despite an injury preventing him from starting in Melbourne, Felipe Massa's teammate managed to finish fifth in the drivers' standings at the end of the season.

While not aiming for such a record, Alexander Albon is creeping into the front of the pack as one of the potential arbiters of this singular season. However, these observations will have to be weighed against Williams' decision to halt the development of the car current in favor of 2026. Eleven years after achieving third place in the constructors' standings, can the team exceed expectations next year?

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