Williams F1 boss claims Albon and Sainz would tell him if they were going to leave

Williams

Williams F1 boss claims Albon and Sainz would tell him if they were going to leave

The future of Albon and Sainz at Williams is a hot topic

Matthew Hobkinson Lead Editor

F1 Editor & Journalist

Sunday 21 June 2026 22:57

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Williams F1 team principal James Vowles has made the rather strange admission that Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz would both tell him if they wanted to leave before doing so.

A disastrous start to the 2026 season from Williams has flung the futures of Sainz and Albon into the spotlight.

The duo are one of the strongest on the grid, so naturally questions are raised when they are failing to score points.

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Williams are sat down in eighth in the constructors' standings on just 11 points, six of those going to Sainz and five to Albon.

It is so far away from their 2025 season that saw them pick up two podiums and amass 137 points to see them finish fifth in the constructors' - only behind the powerhouses of McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari.

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Williams expect honesty from Sainz and Albon

That year the pair finished eighth and ninth in the drivers' standings and talks swirled over a potential rebirth at Williams.

The team however have failed to so far produce a car capable of maintaining the fight towards the front of the grid as rumours of Albon and Sainz's discontent continue to swirl.

There aren't many jobs in the world where you would actively tell your boss you wanted to leave before doing so, but this seems to be the case at Williams.

"The great thing with both is they have the same values I do, which is honesty, transparency," Vowles said. "So we have honest conversations, all the way from October last year when I started to see problems, to January till March - and then here's what we're doing to fix this in this year.

"What it's meant for Carlos and Alex is that they can see that what you see with me is what you get. I will tell you the bad bits, but I'll tell you the good bits as well. And there's some good bits that are still there. The development rates we're hitting now and what we're bringing to the track, the rate we can bring it to the track.

"Because we have the same values in that honesty and transparency, it means that if they are considering anything else, they come to me and talk to me about it.

"At the moment, Carlos and Alex want their future to be here. They've said that to me, but they've said that to you publicly as well at the same time."