Williams in the News: Strong start, Thai GP possibilities and a rookie call up

As Formula 1 descends upon Bahrain for Round 4 of the 2025 season, Atlassian Williams Racing remains firmly in the spotlight. Here’s what the media have been saying this week…

Williams Racing Driver Academy member Luke Browning is slated to participate in his second official Formula 1 session during Free Practice 1 at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

As covered by Motorsport Week, the young British driver will take the wheel of Carlos Sainz’s FW47, marking another milestone in the 23-year-old’s career.​

“Being given another opportunity to drive in a Free Practice session with Williams is a dream come true, and I’m getting more and more confidence each time I drive the car,” Browning commented.

For 2025, teams must complete four FP1 rookie sessions – up from the two mandated in previous seasons – with six teams having confirmed a rookie run out in Sakhir.

Alex Albon has been candid about his P9 result and his experiences during the Suzuka weekend, in an interview with Formula1.com.

“The car wasn’t easy to drive in the conditions,” he explained. “In practice on Friday, the wind suited us more, but it was completely different today. We still scored points though.

“It just shows that even on days when we’re not that optimal, we’re able to score points. In that sense, I’m very happy.”

Across the other side of the Williams garage, Carlos Sainz was pleased with the progress made during the race, having given himself “the first quarter of the season” to fully get acquainted with his new surroundings.“On a positive note, I think the pace was there today,” he shared. “I was comfortable with the car, managed to do some good overtakes and overall learnt a lot out there on track.

“Now the focus is to carry the positive feeling of this weekend on to the next [races] and build from here. Once I start putting everything together, I know better results will come.”

One talking point coming out of the Japanese GP weekend was Alex’s team radio calls, after they were broadcast on the world feed.

For many, it was the first time they’d heard our Thai racer that feisty. However, he addressed these messages post-race with Motorsport.com, explaining that it's quite normal during high-adrenaline moments.

"That is honestly me in my car. I am not... If you had my radio, you would hear me more like that than not like that.

"But for the most part, we had a couple of shift issues that we've been testing all weekend, and we settled on one that we were quite happy with but it didn't feel like the one that we settled on at the start of the race. So, it felt a little bit like we were driving with an FP1 and FP2, which I wasn't too happy with.

"Strategy wise, it was more just because Max overtook me on track, and then we boxed a lap after and I felt that we just lost unnecessary time in that exchange."

Discussions about hosting a Formula 1 race in Thailand have gained traction, with Alex playing a pivotal role. Autosport and The Nation both covered our No. 23’s recent meeting with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to discuss the event.

Alex has expressed enthusiasm following that trip to Bangkok, saying: “It's moving along, obviously nothing's finalised but it's really good to see the commitment from Thailand.

“They're taking it very seriously. And I think as a product, they have a very strong product. If you see the projects… If you see how serious they are.

“I've seen a generic look at what they're trying to do with it. And yeah, it looks good, I don't think I can say [much more]. So I'd rather stay quiet on it. Again, I don't want to say too much but I'm following a lot of interesting events.”