“It feels really good”: Alex Albon shares first impressions of Williams' 2025 F1 challenger

Alex Albon said the new Williams 2025 challenger feels like an improvement on last year's car when asked how it drives at the F1 75 Live event. Albon and Carlos Sainz already drove the FW47 at Silverstone on February 14.

Williams revealed their new livery for the 2025 season, along with all the other teams at the F1 launch event in the U.K. on Tuesday, February 18. But the team from Grove had already showcased a special one-off livery earlier in the month to honor their incoming title sponsors, Atlassian. This meant that the drivers got to drive their new cars around for a limited time before the main livery launch.

Alex Albon, who has been at the team since 2022, was joined by Team Principal James Vowles and new teammate Carlos Sainz at the event at the O2 arena in London.

The 28-year-old was asked how the new car felt when he drove it 5 days ago. In Response, Albon explained that it felt good and better than the 2024 car.

"It feels good, It feels really good. It feels like it's an improvement from last year. That's all we can ask for."

"I think it looks great. Obviously we have our sponsor Atlassian joining us as well. I just can't wait for the season to start." he added, sharing his thoughts on the new-look livery.

The new FW47 will now be seen directly at the Pre-Season Test in Bahrain, starting on February 26. All 10 teams will be taking part in this three-day test session which will be held at Bahrain's usual F1 venue, the Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir.

Alex Albon will begin his fourth season at Williams in 2025 as he prepares to face the challenge of competing against Carlos Sainz as his new teammate. The Thai/British driver has previously been perceived as the number 1 driver at Williams but this is expected to change as Sainz, a 4-time race winner, may take up the role of lead driver.

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Alex Albon claims 2025 could be a transitional year for Williams

Alex Albon at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Alex Albon expressed that the 2025 season could be a transitional season for Williams and they may not get too many strong results throughout the year. The driver claimed that most teams across the grid may have similar feelings ahead of the regulation changes in 2026.

After the Williams driver went on track on Friday to run the new FW47, Albon was asked whether the 2025 season could be a transitional year for the team.

“I think in terms of a result-based point of view, yes. Because I think that every team, I’m sure is singing from the same hymn sheet, we’re always saying that ‘26 is the important year,” he replied [as quoted by Motorsport Week].

Albon went on to claim that it is of immense importance for the team to get their preparation right for the 2026 season and that this year could be the right time to make a few sacrifices.