Albon gives his verdict on Vowles’ plan for Williams to be F1 title challengers by 2030

Alex Albon has backed James Vowles’ plan that would see Williams challenging for world titles by 2030, even if their struggles so far this season have “set us back a little bit”.

Vowles took up the Team Principal role at Williams in early 2023 and has overseen a rise from the foot of the championship standings to fifth position, earned last year, which also featured two Grand Prix podium finishes.

Williams’ hopes of kicking on under F1’s new era of regulations have been dented by a delayed and overweight 2026 challenger, but an undeterred Vowles recently emphasised his plan for the squad to be title challengers by the start of the next decade.

Asked at the Monaco Grand Prix if he thinks Vowles’ assessment is realistic, Albon replied: “I think 2030 is, yeah. I think James is a realistic person, I think he doesn’t try to fluff anything up.

“Obviously we would appreciate if that was a little bit earlier than what it is. I think we’ve noticed this year that we’re a bit further back than where we want to [be], and maybe it has set us back a little bit more, but I do believe in him when he says that.”

In Monte Carlo this weekend, Albon is set to make history with Williams via his 95th race start for the team, equalling Nigel Mansell’s record, which has stood since the 1994 Australian Grand Prix.

It comes in the early stages of Albon’s fifth season at the Grove-based squad, and could have arrived sooner had it not been for three non-starts – a side note being that the current F1 calendar boasts many more races than in Mansell’s day.

Pressed on whether he would be happy to stay at Williams for another 95 races, with Vowles’ 2030 title target in mind, Albon commented: “Yeah, I would.

“For me, it’s progress, I want to see progress from the team. I feel like we’ve shown that in the last four years that I’ve been with the team, that every year has just got better and better.

“This year we’ve taken maybe a step back in terms of performance, but I do see changes in the team being made and it all seems to be going towards the right direction.

“I feel like I’ve been a part of this team since some of the very beginnings of it, even before James [arrived], and I’ve put so much effort and work into it. I would love to see it through.”

Williams sit eighth in the Teams’ Championship on seven points after the first five rounds of the campaign, ahead of Audi, Cadillac and Aston Martin.