Albon’s Wet-Weather Mastery Kicks Off Williams’ Season With Huge Points Haul

Alex Albon delivered a masterclass in treacherous Melbourne rain to steer Atlassian Williams Racing to fifth place in the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, marking the team’s best season start in nine years. Ten points from a race of attrition offered a gleaming reward for the Grove outfit’s winter graft, though Carlos Sainz’s early exit left a bittersweet tang on a day where strategy and grit shone through.

The sun-kissed days of practice gave way to a sodden Sunday, with rain and plunging temperatures transforming Albert Park into a slick crucible. A 15-minute delay—triggered by Isack Hadjar’s formation-lap spin—only heightened the tension before lights out. All 20 cars rolled off on Intermediate tyres, but chaos loomed. Jack Doohan’s Lap 1 shunt into the barriers unleashed the first of three Safety Cars, and Sainz joined the casualty list moments later, spinning out at Turn 16 to log a DNF on his Williams debut.

Albon, starting seventh, held firm as Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari surged past on the opener, with teammate Lewis Hamilton shadowing close behind. Yuki Tsunoda’s Racing Bulls loomed ahead in sixth, setting Albon a dual task—chase the Japanese driver while fending off the seven-time champion. “It was such a crazy race, I’m still trying to get my head around it!” Albon said post-race. “I’m really happy. It’s fantastic for the team – a P5 is very special and may not come around many times this year.”

Sainz’s exit thrust Albon into the spotlight as Williams’ lone torchbearer. “First of all, a massive congratulations to Alex and the team; he did a great job and started off our season on the right foot,” Sainz said, his disappointment tempered by team spirit. “For me, we’ve looked at the data and could quickly spot what happened, so this leaves me calmer about the situation. Without going into details, it’s related to the upshifts when in Safety Car Mode. I’m obviously frustrated about it and feel sorry for everyone in the team.” Stationed on the pit wall, he chipped in via radio, adding: “I spent the rest of the race trying to help on the radio and I’m happy I could at least participate in that way.”

The race’s first half tested nerve and rubber, with Albon balancing grip and pace. Hamilton probed repeatedly, his Ferrari a constant threat in the mirrors, but Albon’s defence held—each lunge rebuffed as he kept Tsunoda in sight. “Our strategist did an amazing job,” Albon praised. “Honestly, it was so difficult out there; these conditions are typically what we hate and, despite all of that, we were still one of the strongest midfield runners out there.” Six retirements—including Doohan, Sainz, and later Fernando Alonso—whittled the field, underscoring the day’s brutality.

Alonso’s Lap 34 crash, a heavy smack into the barriers, summoned the second Safety Car and a pivotal moment. With the track drying, Williams seized a “cheap” pit stop, swapping Albon’s Inters for Mediums—a contrarian call against rivals’ Hard tyre picks. “Switching to Mediums while others went to Hards had the FW47 on a contrary strategy,” the team noted, and it kept Albon in seventh as a storm brewed offshore. Then came the deluge—a downpour that drenched Melbourne with 10 laps left, flipping the race on its head.

Williams’ pit wall pounced again, hauling Albon in for fresh Inters just as the rain hit. “Diving back into the pit lane to swap back to Inters ahead of the rain worked beautifully,” the team reflected, leapfrogging those who lingered on slicks. Albon surged to fourth as Liam Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto spun out, the final retirees in a race that claimed six. A late Safety Car bunched the pack, pitting Albon against Mercedes’ rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who snatched fourth on the penultimate lap.

Drama lingered post-chequered flag. Antonelli’s five-second penalty for an unsafe release briefly handed Albon fourth, only for the FIA to rescind it, settling him in fifth—still his best Williams result. “Points like today mean a lot and I’m positive about what’s to come,” Albon said. “We’re a very bonded team, it was great to have Carlos helping on the pit wall too. This is for everyone at Grove, for all their work.”

Team Principal James Vowles beamed at the turnaround: “What an incredible feeling! We reflect on where we were twelve months ago and it’s just a world of difference. Well done to Alex – a solid drive from start to finish, defending against really great drivers behind him and didn’t put a foot wrong.” Sainz’s spin, however, gnawed at him. “In the case of Carlos, it was tricky conditions out there, but we can see that as he did an upshift at a difficult time, on a difficult part of the track, the car spun. We need to look at that all together as clearly, we could have two cars in the points today.”

Sainz, itching for redemption, looked ahead: “Thankfully China is already next weekend and I can’t wait to jump back in the car.” Vowles shared the optimism: “I’m unbelievably proud of this team and I can’t wait to get to Shanghai in just a few days. I’m looking forward to what we can do across the remainder of the season.” The FW47’s pace in the wet—holding off Hamilton and reeling in Tsunoda—hints at a midfield force reborn.

Shanghai’s tighter confines loom in seven days, a chance to build on this gritty opener. Albon’s P5, forged in the rain, is a statement—Williams are back in the fight. For Sainz, it’s a reset; for Grove, a spark. These 10 points are just the beginning…