Starting Strong: How Our 2025 Start Compares

Two rounds into the 2025 Formula 1 season and Atlassian Williams Racing are off to our best start in nearly a decade. With 17 points already on the board, matching our entire tally from 2024, it’s fair to say the mood at Grove is bright.

A stellar drive from Alex Albon in Melbourne saw him secure P5, while a double-points finish in China, with Alex in P7 and Carlos Sainz in P10, further cemented our strong opening to the season.

But how does this compare to previous campaigns? Let’s take a look back at our first two rounds from years gone by.

With 17 points banked after just two races, this is our strongest start since 2016 and one of our best of the modern era. The hard work continues, and 2026 is still firmly front and centre of our focus. With Alex and Carlos scoring on track and the team pushing relentlessly behind the scenes, we have every reason to be optimistic about what’s to come.

Our last start of similar strength came in 2016, when Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa combined to deliver 20 points across the opening two rounds. Felipe began with a solid P5 in Melbourne, backed up by a P8 one round later in Bahrain. Valtteri started what would be his final year at Grove with a P8 and P9 in a season that saw us finish fifth in the Constructors’ Championship.

An even stronger opening run came in 2015, when Massa and Bottas racked up 30 points over the first two races. Massa’s P4 in Australia and Bottas’ P5 in Malaysia put us in a competitive position early on. That season ultimately saw us finish third in the Constructors’, a lofty benchmark but one we’re eager to chase in the years to come.

The 2014 season marked the start of the turbo-hybrid era and a return to form, with 19 points from the opening two rounds. Valtteri took P5 in Australia, followed by a double points haul in Malaysia with P7 and P8. That campaign ended with a stunning third place in the standings, our highest finish since 2003.

The 2004 season saw us kick off with a competitive 19 points (or 40 points using today’s points system), courtesy of Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher. Ralf’s P4 and Juan Pablo’s P5 laid the foundations, before the Colombian racer secured a P2 Sepang one round later, setting us on our way to fourth in the Constructors’.

Juan Pablo stood on the second step at the opening round in Melbourne in 2003, whilst Ralf picked up the final point in P8. The German’s P4 in Malaysia set us on course for a runner-up finish in the Constructors’ Championship, our best result since the turn of the millennium.

Rewinding to the very start of the millennium, our 2000 campaign saw us gather 7 points from the first two rounds, which is 33 points when adjusted for modern scoring. It was the first step towards rebuilding after a tough late-90s period and Ralf led our charge. Across the other side of the garage, a fresh-faced young Brit by the name of Jenson Button scored the first point of his F1 career at the second round.