Ralf Schumacher has sounded a warning to Alex Albon, telling him he needs to lift his game quickly or risk being replaced, with Williams reportedly already considering other options.
The Thai driver sits in 17th place in the standings with just one point, coming from a tenth-place finish at the Miami Grand Prix. It’s been a tough stretch for both Albon and Williams this year, with results highlighting their struggles.
After four races last season, Albon had already collected 18 points, including a fifth-place finish in the Australian Grand Prix. He kept that form going through the first half of the year before things started to slip as the season went on.
Albon’s P10 at Miami was his first points finish since last year’s Italian Grand Prix – 12 race weekends ago. In that same span, Sainz picked up five top-10s and two podiums.
Ralf Schumacher points out Alex Albon’s struggles during tough start to 2026
Speaking on the Backstage Boxengasse podcast, Ralf Schumacher looked at how Williams performed in Miami after what’s been a tough beginning to their season.
The team had brought some upgrades for the weekend, and the former driver said things went better than he’d expected.
“Let me put it this way: I think Miami went better than expected,” Schumacher said. “You have to give the team credit for that. And if that’s really the case, then the car was actually nearly 30 kilograms overweight.
“If you factor that out – and if that alone often brings it down to zero – then you’d have gained seven or eight tenths just in terms of weight, without having developed the car any further. That means I do believe they’re capable of it, and I think it’s also urgently needed.”
Schumacher also used the moment to point out how much pressure is building on Albon after a string of disappointing results.
“While we’re on the subject of Williams, it’s also urgently needed for Albon to step up his game there as well,” he added. “Sainz was already better last year, and Albon has also lost a bit of his shine.
“I mean, Williams is in a position where they perhaps don’t need to think about swapping drivers. But there too, I’m curious to see what will happen, because James Vowles is also looking around.
“He’s an active team principal and, of course, he’s keeping an eye on the younger generation.”
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