Williams Racing
The 2025 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka proved to be a relentless 53 laps, with much cooler temperatures allowing drivers to push throughout the race.
That being said, it remained a relatively uneventful Grand Prix, with few overtakes made over the course of the afternoon. However, both drivers performed notablely well. Alex Albon continued his consistent form, converting his grid slot into a ninth-place finish to extend his points-scoring run. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz made steady progress, gaining one place to finish P14.
Starting from P9, Alex held his position through a clean opening lap and cycled up the order, thanks to his clever strategy of extending his first stint longer than those ahead. Eventually, pitting from P5, Alex made well-judged overtakes on Gabriel Bortoleto, Esteban Ocon, and Liam Lawson to climb back through the field.
Managing his final stint on the hard tyres with precision, Alex brought it home in P9, adding two valuable points to the team’s tally. Points finish! 🔥
Carlos, starting from P15, had a more eventful race. An early tussle saw him lose a position to Nico Hulkenberg, but he responded quickly, reclaiming the place on lap 2. Carlos was caught in DRS trains throughout the race, making overtaking particularly tricky. Running long in the opening stint, he made his sole pit stop on lap 34, switching to a set of soft tyres.
This strategic move gave him the grip to go racing in the closing stages. As he continued to adapt to his new machinery, Carlos made overtakes on Liam Lawson, Nico Hulkenberg, and Jack Doohan, surging to P14 by the chequered flag.
Although the race may not have been full of drama, the team continues to score and adapt under changing conditions.
Alex Albon, Driver, Williams Racing
We spent the entire weekend tweaking our shift settings, thinking we’d finally found the sweet spot. 🛠️ But, it turns out, the setup felt much better in Qualifying than it did in the race. The car wasn’t exactly easy to handle under those challenging conditions. 💨 On Friday, the wind played to our advantage, but today was a whole different story. 🌪️ Still, we managed to score points, which shows that even when we’re not at our best, we can still deliver results! 💪 It’s a good reminder that every race counts.
Carlos Sainz, Driver, Williams Racing
Unfortunately, as expected, it was a tough race stuck in traffic after a challenging Saturday, with a few details to fine-tune in Qualifying, plus the penalty. 💭
But there’s a silver lining! The pace was definitely there today. 🚗💨 I felt comfortable with the car, managed some solid overtakes, and learned a lot on the track. 💪
The focus now is to carry this positive momentum into the upcoming GPs and keep building from here. Once everything clicks, I know the results will follow! 🔥 On to Bahrain! 🇧🇭
James Vowles, Team Principal, Williams Racing
Another two points in the bag! 🚗💨 A strong and consistent performance from Alex has contributed to our tally, and we’re moving in the right direction. 👏
🔍 While nearly all cars finished in qualifying order, there’s always room to improve. Reflecting on the weekend, we know we missed the mark with Carlos in traffic yesterday. That’s on us as a team, and we’ll learn from it. 🤝
🔥 On a positive note, Carlos’ performance was strong, and I’m pumped to see how we all come together in the next two races. 🙌
⚡ It’s an incredibly close #ChampionshipBattle, and every millisecond counts. We’re committed to digging deep, analyzing everything, and giving our all in the upcoming races! 🚀
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