Alex Albon ready for anything after rebuilding his confidence at Williams

Alex Albon believes he is now “ready for anything” in Formula One after learning from his Red Bull exit to lead Williams in their quest to return to the top of the sport.

The London-born Thai driver has had an impressive start to the season for a Williams team which continues to show signs of progress after over two decades of struggles.

Albon made his F1 debut in 2019 with Toro Rosso but was soon promoted to the Red Bull senior team to partner Max Verstappen.

He ended the season well and kept the seat for 2020, but a difficult second campaign saw him demoted to the role of reserve driver for a year before he returned to the grid with Williams in 2022.

Williams team principal James Vowles has said he found a driver short on confidence when he joined in 2023, an assessment Albon agrees with.

“When I first got my chance back into Williams it was more around ‘how is this going to go?’. There was some anxiety,” Albon told the PA news agency.

“I think my confidence built up over time. Year on year I have got more confident, not so much as a driver but as a person maturing with age and being comfortable with being a team leader in bringing up the team.”

Albon is not alone in having found partnering Verstappen difficult. Sergio Perez and this season Liam Lawson have come and gone since, with Yuki Tsunoda now the latest in the hotseat.

Asked if he would return to Red Bull if the opportunity was right, Albon said: “I think to say yes or no is a hard question to answer.

“Bottom line is that I have become stronger because of it. I have learned my lessons and been able to adapt and overcome.

“At that age, my first two years in F1, I didn’t know how to get myself out of it. And so I feel like with the knowledge I have now I would easily be able to find my way through.

“So yes I feel like I am a good driver, I have a good team around me and I am ready for anything. But ready for anything for me now is being ready for Williams and the journey that we have.”

The British team are fifth in the constructors’ standings, with Albon scoring points in five of the six races so far.

Williams brought in multiple race winner Carlos Sainz ahead of the 2025 season following his exit from Ferrari.

Albon says he saw the Spaniard’s arrival as a chance to show his quality.

“When Carlos first signed for the team I was very happy that the team were going after someone like that because of the experience that he brings coming from a top team,” Albon added.

“I could see how much it was going to help. On a personal point of view, I saw it as an opportunity.

“There was a bit of chat beforehand that it was a worrying thing for me to have someone as respected and talented as Carlos is.

“For me it was like ‘great bring someone in who has got that calibre and I will be able to prove to people what I can do’.”