Williams in the News: Vowles’ track return and Alex on his relationship with Carlos

With Formula 1’s winter break underway, attention is already turning to the 2026 season and what lies ahead for the grid.

There might not be the usual cycle of race-related news, but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been plenty happening as focus switches to off-season activity

Here’s how the media have been covering Atlassian Williams Racing over the past few days…

The Formula 1 season may have ended – but there’s been no slowing down for one member of the team.

James Vowles made his return to the track after three years, competing in the 2025 Gulf 12 Hours with Garage 59. His last outing came at the Asian Le Mans Series in a McLaren 720S GT3 back in 2022.

Motorsport.com carried quotes from our Team Principal, who said ahead of racing: “The chance to put on a race helmet again is something I relish. Garage 59 is a team I know well from our time together in 2022.

“The Gulf 12 Hours is a fantastic event with a competitive grid. It will be a pleasure to share the car with Alex (West), Mark (Sansom) and Marco (Pulcini), and to experience racing from the driver’s seat again.”

Toasting victory afterwards via his X account, James added: "Fantastic! AM category winners after 12 tough hours of racing alongside some incredible drivers and teams. This victory means that, for the second consecutive year, Garage 59 leaves the Gulf 12 Hours as class winners.

"From 09:00 this morning through until 23:00 this evening, we gave it everything and we couldn’t be happier with this result. Thank you to everyone for the support over the past few days and those who came out in person.

"A final thanks to Alex, Mark and Marco. Brilliant teammates. Thank you to Garage 59. Really happy with my progress and a weekend I won’t forget."

The 46-year-old was also interviewed for an in-depth feature on Williams’ recent progress, which can be found in the Gentleman’s Journal.

Alex Albon had a new teammate in 2025 after Carlos Sainz joined from Ferrari, and the duo secured Atlassian Williams Racing’s best finish since the 2017 season.

According to AA23, a lot of that success can be attributed to the swift and strong bond built between our two drivers.

In quotes carried by Autosport.com, Alex said: “In terms of us two working together, [there is] more backwards and forwards in terms of feedback ping-pong, where we're just having the same opinions about the car.

“We speak in a very similar language, I think. Carlos is more experienced than I am, but in terms of our age and our approach, we handle things in a very similar way.”

And our Thai racer, who secured his best-ever finish of eighth in the 2025 Championship, believes Carlos has helped him hit new heights this season.

“In terms of pushing me, yes, it's great to have someone,” said Alex. “It's a different data set to have a look at, different driving style to me. We want similar things in the car, but we actually normally arrive to qualifying with a very similar set-up.

“I feel like every driver would say this, when you have a team-mate who's a step up, you learn more. There's more to learn in terms of your driving styles. There are some corners that you were previously quick at, which you're now the same as.”