Juan Pablo Montoya thinks James Vowles has built Williams to ‘Mercedes level’ after Qatar GP

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Williams are going on leaps and bounds in 2025 as they officially confirm finishing P5 in the championship.

Not many may have expected that at the start of the season, given that Williams were solely focused on 2026 and the new regulations. But with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, they were expected to improve on their ninth-place finish in 2024.

Williams have done that and some in 2025, as they have confirmed P5 in the constructors’ championship. The Grove outfit have made serious progress under James Vowles, with the team even grabbing two podiums through Sainz.

The Spaniard finished P3 in Baku and repeated that finish at the Qatar Grand Prix. Helped by McLaren’s strategy blunder under the safety car, Sainz held back a charging Lando Norris to secure his second podium for the team.

Juan Pablo Montoya says James Vowles has built Williams to ‘Mercedes level’

The 2025 season marks Williams’ best finish since 2017, and the first time since that year that the team have scored multiple podiums.

The work Vowles has done behind the scenes, and Albon and Sainz’s results, have propelled Williams forward and into a team that can start to compete towards the front. For Juan Pablo Montoya, the Grove outfit are now at Mercedes’ level.

Finish the sentence: In 2026, Carlos Sainz will finish ____ in the championship with Williams

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Speaking about Sainz’s podium in Qatar, he said via F1 TV: “Something that as well you can see, he understood that it was going to take time. He understood and the team understood and they were so excited to have him in the team that they knew it was a plus.

“They’re open to change anything and work with them. And the team, James, the way he’s built the team everything is like Mercedes’ level.

“Everything needs to be proper. all the right places, all the right executions, like everything they do. If they have a competitive car next year, you need to be careful with Williams.”

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

Carlos Sainz is starting to get the better of Alex Albon at Williams

David Coulthard felt 2025 was ‘make or break’ for Albon when Sainz joined Williams. In the first half of the season, the Thai driver was proving him wrong.

Before Sainz’s podium in Baku, Albon had 11 points finishes to his teammate’s six, finishing fifth four times. He was establishing the upper hand, while Sainz was criticising Williams’ way of working.

But since the Azerbaijan GP, the Spaniard has turned a corner, finishing third three times, including Sprint races. Albon has not scored points in that time and is now only nine points ahead of his teammate heading into the season finale.

Vowles has changed his tune on Sainz since his upturn in form, with Albon now using a similar setup to his teammate. It seems that the momentum has shifted to the other side of the garage.