How Alex and Carlos helped drive Atlassian Williams Racing forward

Team Principal James Vowles has often spoken about teamwork at Atlassian Williams Racing and, as he reflected on the 2025 season, he highlighted just how central the relationship between Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz has been to the team’s progress.

Speaking on 2025’s final episode of The Vowles Verdict, presented by Kraken, James explained that their collaboration clicked immediately.

“From the very first test that we did in Bahrain together, all the way through Melbourne, then through the other races where the two of them were working together very freely, it’s been a relationship that, from minute one, was as strong as it was at the end of the season,” he said.

“Sometimes those dynamics can change team on team, subject to the pressures the drivers are feeling, the team is feeling, but that didn’t change anything here at all.”

For JV, the strength of their partnership comes down to two things: who they are as competitors, and the clear target of the Williams mission.

“It’s just a sign of both of them being absolutely top sportsmen in their own right,” he continued. “This is about our journey back to the front. We’re not getting caught up on who finished where at which race – it’s about how the team moves forward.”

One standout moment for James came all the way back at the first round, when Carlos was embarking on his first race weekend in Williams machinery.

“Alex found a way of driving the Williams which was slightly different to the Ferrari, especially through turn three, as a way of getting it rotated in the corner, running the setup,” James explained.

“And Alex was very open with Carlos after FP1, once Carlos had come in and commented that he was unable to follow a certain line.

“That was the very first race, but the start of that relationship,” James explained. “There are subtleties to a Williams car that Alex was able to help Carlos with – same in converse.”

As the season developed, that openness allowed the team to push harder in both set-up and car understanding. With both drivers delivering near-identical pace, the decision was made to lean into their strengths.

“What we did about halfway through the year was start to split the setups quite differently between the two cars,” James revealed.

“Because both drivers are within milliseconds of each other, it allowed us to find two different directions, and it’s that honest feedback after practice that then drives the unified setup.”

That spirit of shared growth, James says, is just the beginning.

“It carried on through the season, and it will keep building into next year and beyond.”