Formula 1 Dutch GP
Alex Albon on why Williams cannot afford team-mate secrets in F1
Alex Albon has explained why he and Williams team-mate Carlos Sainz openly share set-up information
Lydia Mee
Published: Aug 28, 2026, 9:00 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Alexander Albon, Williams, Carlos Sainz, Williams
Photo by: Lintao Zhang / LAT Images via Getty Images
Alex Albon has shed light on his partnership with Williams team-mate Carlos Sainz, explaining why the pair share set-up information rather than keep secrets on their respective sides of the garage.
It has been a challenging 2026 Formula 1 season for the Grove outfit. The team currently sits ninth in the constructors' championship with 11 points, while Sainz and Albon are 16th and 17th in the drivers' standings with six and five points, respectively.
Despite the natural rivalry that exists between team-mates, Albon insists that the current performance limitations of the Williams car mean that collaborating is essential.
During an appearance on The Fast And The Curious podcast following the Dutch Grand Prix, Albon detailed how drivers in other teams often withhold data to gain an edge, but that such tactics would be counterproductive at Williams.
"What happens in some teams, and I know this, is that you will find something on your car, but it won't be something the other car can't find," Albon explained. "It could be a line into a corner, it could be a gear choice, it could be a set-up direction, it could be the way that we implement the electronic system into the car.
"You could find something good, but you just won't mention it. You can keep it quiet to your side of the garage.
Carlos Sainz, Williams, Alexander Albon, Williams
Photo by: Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 / Getty Images
"Realistically, for us, at least I don't do it, so maybe Carlos does it, I don't know," he laughed. "But because of the limitations of our car, we kind of work together on it.
"It's almost like we both have the same feedback with the same problems, and then we can split the cars," he said. "One car might go, 'Yes, this is working,' so the other car joins onto that. Sometimes it's like, 'Oh, this works, and this works, so we'll take a bit of both.' You kind of chop and change sometimes.
"Oh, this is the wrong way, so now the other car's gone the other way, so now it's that way. But there is a balance.
"I remember that happened a lot more when you have two rookie drivers and you're kind of fighting for the same [position]. You can imagine it becomes a little bit more [elbows out]," Albon added.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Carlos Sainz denies 2027 Audi F1 talks: ‘I never considered leaving Williams’
Next article The numbers behind Lando Norris' "pretty insane" claim about McLaren's F1 development
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Lydia Mee
Laurent Mekies credited with ending Red Bull's second seat "curse"
Formula 1
Formula 1
Bahrain GP in Malaysia
Laurent Mekies credited with ending Red Bull's second seat "curse"
Guenther Steiner jokes Christian Horner Ferrari talk is good book publicity
Formula 1
Formula 1
Bahrain GP in Malaysia
Guenther Steiner jokes Christian Horner Ferrari talk is good book publicity
Kimi Antonelli has "spooked himself" amid F1 title pressure, says Naomi Schiff
Formula 1
Formula 1
Bahrain GP in Malaysia
Kimi Antonelli has "spooked himself" amid F1 title pressure, says Naomi Schiff
More from
Alex Albon
Fernando Alonso blasts driving standards of bottom half of F1 grid
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
Fernando Alonso blasts driving standards of bottom half of F1 grid
Williams has better cooling vests than anyone – Alex Albon
Formula 1
Formula 1
Williams has better cooling vests than anyone – Alex Albon
More from
Williams
Franco Colapinto, George Russell to sit out FP1 at F1 Mexico GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
Franco Colapinto, George Russell to sit out FP1 at F1 Mexico GP
James Vowles explains request for review of F1 cost cap
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
James Vowles explains request for review of F1 cost cap
Latest news
Alex Bowman hits out at critics in snarky post, shooting down early exit rumors
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
30 min
Alex Bowman hits out at critics in snarky post, shooting down early exit rumors
Ryan Blaney gets sweet redemption after 'nightmares' following 2024 Homestead loss
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
52 min
Ryan Blaney gets sweet redemption after 'nightmares' following 2024 Homestead loss
IndyCar 2026 season review: Dale Coyne Racing
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 1 h
IndyCar 2026 season review: Dale Coyne Racing
Noah Gragson apologizes to Daniel Suarez for spinning him at Homestead
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
1 h
Noah Gragson apologizes to Daniel Suarez for spinning him at Homestead
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe