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Alex Albon shares what he’s ‘already talking’ to Carlos Sainz about ahead of his Williams move

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Williams Racing haven’t had the easiest 2024 Formula 1 campaign, but things are looking up for the Grove-based team.

Logan Sargeant was well aware before the Dutch Grand Prix that he wouldn’t be on the grid next year, but an expensive mistake in practice was the final nail in the coffin for his F1 career.

Williams took the unexpected decision to promote Franco Colapinto and it immediately paid off, with the Argentinian driver scoring four points in Azerbaijan.

Next year is when Williams will hope they can go to the next level with Carlos Sainz joining the team from Ferrari to partner Alex Albon.

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

Williams are now fighting for points at every race with Colapinto narrowly missing out on a top-ten finish in Singapore despite it being his first visit to the track in extremely tough conditions.

Albon and Sainz are proven stars on the grid and given Aston Martin’s current struggles, will spot an opportunity to be the best of the rest behind the top four teams in 2025 before kicking on under the new regulations the following year.

Speaking at a media event in Brazil, via Motorsport, Albon discussed the talks he’s already held with his future teammate.

Sainz and Albon have had very different journeys to reach Formula 1 but they both had spells in Red Bull’s junior program before moving on.

While they never raced against each other directly, there’s a good chance that if a top team need a driver, they’ll be looking at who is coming out on top in Williams’s highly anticipated intra-team battle.

What Alex Albon has already told Carlos Sainz about Williams ahead of his 2025 move

Asked about his relationship with the Spaniard, Albon said: “I’m already talking to Carlos about how the car is going, and we’ve already scheduled several meetings.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz’s life outside F1 from full name, girlfriend and height

“We were already talking a bit before he signed the contract.

“Back then he wanted to know how the team was going and all that. Now it’s more about finding our place.”

F1 Grand Prix Of Singapore
Photo by Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images

Sainz and Albon are very much part of different battles this season, with the Spaniard still hoping to add to his race win in Melbourne before likely dropping down the grid.

Albon will know that points have to be the aim for Williams in each of the last six race weekends, particularly with Haas and RB in their sights and millions of pounds in prize money available if they can leapfrog one or both teams.

What James Vowles has told Carlos Sainz he’ll need to ‘sacrifice’ before Williams move

The F1 driver’s market has been fascinating this year and was all started by Lewis Hamilton’s announcement that he would be joining Ferrari.

That left Sainz out in the cold and nearly half the grid tried to convince him to sign for them sensing an opportunity to poach a race-winning driver.

Williams won that battle but James Vowles has already told Sainz that some sacrifices will need to be made going forward.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes relationship

That’s something that the 30-year-old would have expected but he’s also at the point in his career where taking a step backwards is far from ideal.

He would have been holding onto hope that Red Bull were keen to part ways with Sergio Perez or Mercedes would potentially want a more experienced driver than Kimi Antonelli to partner George Russell.

That hasn’t materialised and it’s now up to Albon and Sainz to make the most of the opportunity they’ve got at a Williams team who are making positive noises about the future, rather than looking over their shoulder.