Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz expect strong Canadian GP showings, with Sauber, Aston Martin, and Williams F1 aiming to upset the order.
Alex Albon was not surprised by Williams F1’s lack of competitiveness during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend. The Thai driver put the team’s struggles into perspective, noting significant progress compared to 2024, and revealed the experience was still constructive.
“The competitiveness wasn’t there, but we expected that. It wasn’t a horrible weekend — I saw the data, and we were actually the team that made the most progress, so we’re moving in the right direction,” Albon said.
“I like going to tracks like that because they highlight the areas where we need to double down, and straight away, it’s good to head into meetings and hear everyone saying, ‘These are the things we need to focus on for next year.’”
Still, he’s hopeful of a turnaround this weekend at the Canadian Grand Prix: “Yes, I think so — we’ve always been quick here, it suits our car, and we’re less track-dependent. Other teams are bringing upgrades and starting to understand their packages. I’m positive, but I think Sauber and Aston could be surprise contenders.”
Carlos Sainz echoed his teammate’s sentiment, explaining that the Spanish GP wasn’t entirely negative: “It’s very positive — we expected a tough weekend in Spain and that’s what happened. But we were still the team that had made the most progress from the previous year.”
“So we stay positive, and we know better circuits for us are coming — Canada being a good example. These are tracks where the car should perform well, and I’m driving well, so we just need to put everything together because no matter the circuit, we’ve struggled to deliver strong results.”
However, Sainz disagreed with Albon about the FW47’s versatility: “We are quite track-dependent, as you saw between Imola and Barcelona, where we went from being first in Q2 to barely making it out of Q1.”
“We’re one of the teams whose performance fluctuates, but we’re also strong enough to finish fifth in the Constructors’ Championship. There are still things holding us back in races that have prevented me from achieving the results I deserve.”
The Spaniard also made a stop in Madrid this week to drive part of the future Madring: “I’ve been busy with Madrid, as you saw. It was a major event — 18,000 people came to the showrun — and it was great to see an F1 car on streets that will become the track. I’ll have two home races next year — Madrid is just 20 kilometers from my house, so that’s nice.”
