Alex Albon laughs at James Vowles’ bold Williams F1 claim in Drive to Survive

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Williams driver Alex Albon could not stop himself from suppressing a laugh as team principal James Vowles made a bold claim in Netflix’s new ‘Drive to Survive’ season.

Netflix has released season six of the hit F1 documentary series and offers a look behind the scenes at Grove. But where Vowles believes his tenure can take Williams in the future would leave Albon laughing. He replaced Jost Capito in charge of the fabled team in January 2023.

Vowles joined Williams ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 campaign after a trophy-laden spell at Mercedes. The British engineer initially joined the Brackley-based squad in December 2001 as British American Racing’s (BAR) chief strategist before staying as Honda and Brawn GP.

Williams have not won a drivers’ or constructors’ title since 1997

Mercedes also promoted Vowles to the role of motorsport strategy director in January 2019 during their dominant era. The Silver Arrows won each constructors’ title between 2014 and 2021. Lewis Hamilton also won six drivers’ titles and Nico Rosberg took one over the period.

So, Vowles knows what it takes to win titles and fully believes that Williams can re-join that fight. The Grove-based outfit have won the fourth-most drivers’ titles in Formula 1’s history with seven, the same as Red Bull. Williams have also won nine constructors’ championships.

But Williams have not won a drivers’ championship since Jacques Villeneuve took the title in 1997. The team that Frank Williams founded in 1977 also sealed their last constructor’s title that same year. Yet their glory days are now a distant memory dating back multiple decades.

Alex Albon laughs at James Vowles in honest ‘Drive to Survive’ clip

Williams have not finished a year higher than fifth in the constructors’ standings since 2016 and 2017. They also took back-to-back third-place finishes in 2014 and 2015 after Formula 1 adopted turbo-hybrid power units. But they were last true threats for a team’s title in 2003.

Additionally, Williams finished the 2022 season just 10th in the standings before appointing Vowles with Albon and Nicolas Latifi behind the wheels. The Grove squad improved to take seventh in 2023 with 28 points. Albon scored 27 of their points with rookie Logan Sargeant.

Yet episode four of Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive’ series shows Vowles telling Albon that he fully believes Williams will fight for championships again. The London-born Thai driver could only suppress a laugh at the bold target his team principal laid before him as they debated goals.

“I never asked you what in your mind success looks like?” Vowles pondered. To which, Albon replied: “Right now, in this team, it’s progress. It’s seeing progress.”

Vowles added: “The reason I joined here is because I really do believe we can be back at the front [and] competing for winning championships.

“You sort of joke and laugh about it. But it’s important that you realise that’s the sort of quality and calibre that you have available to you. You need to be turning up with a car that’s, at least, being updated several times a year. And it will keep getting better.”