“He is the right man for the job and I believe in him”: Alex Albon backs James Vowles to bring glory days back to Williams Racing

Alex Albon feels James Vowles has the qualities to bring Williams Racing back to a competitive state in the future. The team has been running under him for over a season.

James Vowles left Mercedes and signed with Williams to become their team principal in 2023. He replaced Jost Capito, who had stepped down shortly before. Vowles, with over a decade of experience at Mercedes, was seen as a positive addition to the Wantage-based team.

The team showed signs of improvement in multiple races during the 2023 F1 season. In a recent conversation with Autosport, Alex Albon mentioned that Vowles has included him in the car's development project. He further mentioned that their team principal is the "right man for the job" at Williams.

"I have been very much a part of the project. James has brought me into it," Albon said. "He's very straight. He doesn't tell you things are better than they actually are, and I like that. I feel like whenever something's not come to plan he tells me the areas that the team needs to work on. He tells me if there's anything I can do to help."

"He is the right man for the job and I believe in him and feel like we've got the right people," he added.

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Alex Albon suggests 2027 is "realistic" for Williams to get back to winning ways

Historically a powerhouse under founder and former driver Frank Williams, Williams Racing enjoyed immense success in Formula 1's early years. However, it's been over a decade since they last won a Grand Prix.

The 2020 and 2022 seasons were particularly challenging, with the team finishing at the bottom of the Constructors' Championship. While progress has been made, driver Alex Albon acknowledges that a full return to midfield competitiveness is still some time away.

The 28-year-old driver suggested that securing race wins in 2026 might be a challenging proposition for the team. However, Albon expressed optimism that Williams could be back in contention for victories in the 2027 season.

"If I am being totally honest, I don't see us being in position to fight for wins and titles for a while, but to do steps where we start nipping in and getting podiums and what not," Albon stated.

"I believe that 2026 would be difficult, but winning in '27 would be much more realistic. We've got great investment, and we're recruiting very aggressively," he added.

The team currently sits in ninth place in the championship standings, having secured four points so far, all of which were scored by Albon.