F1 fans now believe £6.5m-a-year driver deserves an ‘apology’ after being written off at the start of the 2025 season

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With more than a quarter of the 2025 Formula 1 season now completed, there’s now enough evidence to draw some conclusions on how the campaign is playing out.

Many people expected McLaren to be the quickest team in 2025, and that has proved to be the case as they lead the constructors’ championship by a significant margin.

Oscar Piastri is leading the drivers’ standings from teammate Lando Norris, but Max Verstappen proved at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix that he and Red Bull can’t be written off yet.

There have already been two driver changes at this early stage of the season.

Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda have swapped seats at Red Bull and Racing Bulls, while Franco Colapinto made his Alpine debut at Imola after Jack Doohan was dropped.

Many fans were also fascinated to see how each of the rookies was going to fare, and while Lawson and Doohan have struggled, the quartet still in their original seats have impressed.

Isack Hadjar has stood out at Racing Bulls, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Sprint Race pole position in Miami ended up being a record-breaking lap.

However, there’s a more established driver who was being questioned at the start of 2025 who has proved so many people wrong already, and that’s Williams star Alex Albon.

READ MORE: Williams star Alex Albon’s life outside F1 with net worth, girlfriend to parents

Alex Albon has proved F1 fans wrong after another brilliant performance at Imola

At the start of the season, Harry Benjamin questioned whether Albon would be under pressure this season.

The £6.5m-a-year driver was joined by Carlos Sainz over the winter, and many expected the Spaniard to immediately get the upper hand on his teammate.

However, Albon has already scored 40 points after seven races and only finished outside the top 10 once this season.

Not only that, but he’s also beaten Carlos Sainz 8-1 in race results including Sprints, with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix currently the only exception.

His fifth-place finish at Imola prompted a strong response from fans, with one stating on social media, “We need an Alex Albon apology form,” while another comment read, “Albon is killing it.”

One fan stated, “I bet Frank Williams would be happy watching over from above, as would the Williams family. I know Claire hoped to hold on to this team but still, I hope she can still be proud of this team.”

Another supporter suggested, “The driver you are, Alex. You and Carlos are the dream team, keep working together to continue hauling these points in. I can’t imagine there aren’t any teams with their eyes on him right now.”

“Great job Alex!! That podium is close, keep pushing!” read another comment, and there was a point in the race when it looked like a top three was potentially on the cards.

However, some fans are taking a more realistic approach to Albon’s strong start, with one comment stating, “Alex is doing a great season. He destroyed Carlos in the first 3 races. Then he’s been lucky with strategy and won over Carlos sometimes with his quick pace.

“However people comment that he’s destroying Carlos… well, F1 is not all about statistics. Simple go and see today’s race and you’ll see who was the better racer of them both.

“PS: he’s also playing the less team player role, can’t you remember what he did to Carlos’ car some races ago? Still top season.”

READ MORE: All to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes ties

James Vowles lauds change in Alex Albon since Carlos Sainz’s arrival

The past few seasons have seen Albon come up against several teammates who have struggled to adapt to the demands of Formula 1.

He outclassed Nicholas Latifi and Logan Sargeant, and while Franco Colapinto initially pushed him much harder, the Argentine appeared to constantly be on the limit which led to several crashes.

Sainz is a completely different prospect for Albon, but so far, he’s used his prior experience with Williams to extract more performance out of a very promising car.

Team principal James Vowles has been very impressed with Albon and noticed a change in his approach since the Spaniard’s arrival.

Both teammates appear to be pushing each other forward, and while there has been tension on the team radio between Sainz and Albon, they’re putting themselves in a strong position to be contenders in 2026 if Williams deliver on their promise for the upcoming change in regulations.