Alex Albon is a fan favorite in Formula 1 and is firmly locked into the Williams team. This article is going to look at if he’s a number 1 driver in Formula 1.

I’d like to start by saying I don’t believe he’s a number 1 driver. This isn’t taking away from the talent he possesses, as he belongs in Formula 1. I believe that the perception of Albon is inflated by his lackluster teammates.

His teammates since joining Williams are Nicholas Latifi for 22 races, Nick de Vries for 2 races, Logan Sargeant for 41 races, and Franco Colapinto for 3 races. This isn’t exactly a challenging group of teammates as three proved to be not talented enough for F1. 

The driver I want to focus on is Franco Colapinto, the young driver from Argentina who has burst on the scene of F1. In three races against Albon, he’s proven his worth. While Albon has a 2-1 advantage in finishes, when you take a closer look Colapinto is matching Albon. At Baku, Colapinto finished two seconds behind Albon, at Singapore he outdrove Albon. 

This brings me to 2025. Carlos Saniz joins Williams. If a rookie with three races under his belt is regularly matching him, Saniz should easily overtake Albon for the number-one position at Williams. Overall, Sainz is the better driver and it will show in 2025. The perception Albon has built up over the years will be shattered in 2025. Again, I’m not trying to be harsh, but Albon isn’t the driver many fans think he is.