James Vowles has successfully tied Alex Albon down to a new multi-year deal. But now he must decide who will fill the other seat at Williams.
The team confirmed earlier this month that Albon had penned a contract extension. When Vowles announced it, ‘the roof lifted off’ the factory.
But much as the team will see the former Red Bull driver as a key piece of their future, uncertainty persists over the identity of his teammate. Logan Sargeant remains under huge pressure.
The American has only scored one point since he made his F1 debut at the start of last year, while Albon’s ninth-place finish in Monaco took him onto 29 in the same time period. He’s often struggled to get near the Thai racer.
One journalist feels Sargeant has already been ‘pre-fired’. Vowles benched him at the Australian Grand Prix after Albon broke one of their two available chassis, and there have been rumours that he could lose his seat to Mercedes junior Kimi Antonelli before the end of the campaign.
Over the Monaco weekend, it emerged that Carlos Sainz is a contender for the drive. Sainz has received a ‘satisfactory’ offer from the Grove outfit as he tries to find his next destination after leaving Ferrari.
James Vowles ‘really likes’ Valtteri Bottas as Williams driver decision looms
While Sainz is perhaps the biggest name in the Williams equation, a report from Formu1a.uno stresses that he’s ‘not the only driver’ to whom Vowles has spoken. He’s already held ‘multiple interviews’ with Valtteri Bottas, one of which took place in Monte Carlo.
Vowles knows Bottas well from his time as the chief strategist at Mercedes. The Finn spent five seasons with the team during their heyday from 2017 to 2021, winning 10 Grands Prix.
Mercedes ultimately elected to replace Bottas with George Russell in 2022, while Vowles left his post for a bigger role at Williams 12 months later. Now, the 34-year-old driver could lose his drive after Audi hired Nico Hulkenberg ahead of their 2026 arrival.
Bottas spent the first four years of his career at Williams and he could conceivably finish it there too. Vowles ‘really likes’ him and values the experience he would bring to the team.
Could Williams pair Valtteri Bottas with Adrian Newey?
While Williams currently sit eighth in the constructors’ standings with just two points, Vowles is making them an attractive proposition in the driver market. That’s because he’s demonstrating real ambition.
He’s made no secret of his belief that legendary designer Adrian Newey would be a ‘perfect fit’ for his organisation. Newey is leaving Red Bull at the start of next year and, as you can see in the table below, he won his first five constructors’ titles with Williams.
Vowles is reportedly ‘working tirelessly’ to bring the 65-year-old back to Grove, but he faces a tough task. They lack the same competitiveness and resources that Ferrari, another of Newey’s leading suitors, can boast.
But Jenson Button has predicted that he’ll stay in the UK at this late stage of his career, and he may see the romance in a comeback. With Newey building a car for a formidable duo like Bottas and Albon, Williams could quickly progress to the front of the midfield.
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