Podium beckons for F1's most underrated driver

Having shown himself to be one of the most consistent performers on the grid, Alex Albon is well placed to build on the optimism surrounding Williams

- Kieran Jackson

Two-thirds of the way through the 2025 season and, beyond the race for the drivers' championship, the midfield battle continues apace as we leave the European season behind. Next, the streets of Baku and a glance at the top 10 on the leaderboard highlights one star performer, exceeding expectations and then some.

Williams' Alex Albon is not just 54 points ahead of his teammate Carlos Sainz, who is enduring a difficult first campaign at the Grove-based outfit. Nor is he only higher than Nico Hulkenberg and Isack Hadjar, both of whom recorded 15 points with memorable podiums in recent months.

But positioned in seventh, Albon is also four points clear of 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli. A Williams ahead of a Mercedes with eight races to go? An unthinkable proposition 12 months ago.

Albon, who grew up in the UK but races under the Thai flag, is in the midst of a run of results unmatched in his six-year F1 career so far. Out of 13 grands prix finished, Albon has finished in the top 10 on 11 of those occasions. He has scored 28 points in his last five races and has outscored Sainz at 11 out of 16 races in total. The only thing missing, with a highest finish of P5, is that one podium-clinching result.