Why Alex Albon will ‘continue to lead’ Williams despite Carlos Sainz signing

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Carlos Sainz has finally made his decision to join Williams after several months of speculation over his Formula 1 future post-Ferrari.

The Spaniard was one of the most high-profile free agents in the 2024 F1 driver market after Ferrari decided not to renew his contract in favour of employing seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton for 2025 and beyond.

Williams team principal James Vowles spoke about the ’emotional swings’ after revealing that the ‘whole pitlane’ was after Sainz’s signature.

It was understood that the Spaniard also had serious offers on the table from Alpine and Sauber, however neither made compelling enough cases compared to what Williams could offer.

Sainz could also face the prospect of being promoted to Mercedes, as they are Williams’ engine partner, if Andrea Kimi Antonelli is promoted but fails to deliver on the promise in the early stages.

With Sainz set to replace American driver Logan Sargeant, there have been questions over who will be the team leader between him and Alex Albon.

Former F1 strategist Bernie Collins has explained why it is likely to remain with Albon initially next season when speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast.

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

Why Alex Albon will be the team leader at Williams

Sainz has enjoyed parity while having Charles Leclerc as his teammate at Ferrari, largely because of how close the pair are on performance.

Collins believes there will be a key factor that determines why Albon is still going to be the team leader at the Grove-based outfit in the early stages of their partnership.

“Initially, Albon will continue to lead, whether that’s on paper, he’s the leader or not. He will continue to lead because he’s already settled in that environment, he knows what’s going on around him, he knows how the procedures work, the meetings, the feedback, all these other things. So, and I think given what we’ve seen of James, I don’t think there necessarily will be a number one driver.

“It’ll be whoever’s scoring the most points will get the most opportunity, whoever’s on track will get the most opportunity. That’s maybe the way to have it going forward. And hopefully, both of them will push each other forward.”

Why being a team leader is significant in an F1 team

Being a team leader within an F1 team can have important implications on when a driver gets new parts fitted to their car or priority on strategy.

The impact at a team like Williams is important to note, given their shortage of spare parts at the beginning of the season led to the withdrawal of Logan Sargeant from the Australian GP.

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

Sargeant has also had a much heavier car for the first half of the season compared to Albon, which impacted his ability to achieve similar results.

Sainz will be wary of this element, which is perhaps why with two star drivers it could likely see Williams space out upgrades or split between the two throughout the season.