Alex Albon gave Williams their best qualifying result of the 2025 F1 season so far at the Belgian Grand Prix, as the London-born Thai secured fifth place on the Spa grid.
Neither Albon nor his teammate, Carlos Sainz, had qualified higher this year than P6 prior to this weekend’s race in the Ardennes forest. Albon registered P6 in qualifying for the season-opening Australian GP this March, while Sainz qualified P6 in Saudi Arabia, Miami and Imola.
Qualifying for the Belgian GP on Saturday also saw Albon reach Q3 for the eighth time so far this season. The 29-year-old’s P5 even gives Williams their best starting position for a Grand Prix since he started the inaugural Las Vegas GP from P5 in 2023, a massive 39 rounds ago.
Fifth place on Spa’s grid also matches Albon’s career-best starting position for a Belgian GP after he also started the 2020 edition from P5 for Red Bull. Albon finished the race in sixth in 2020, but he has not secured a point in a Belgian GP since finishing P10 for Williams in 2022.
Photo by Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty ImagesAlex Albon’s delta toggle switch at the Belgian GP ‘doesn’t make sense’ for Nico Rosberg
McLaren driver Lando Norris scored pole position for the 2025 Belgian GP with a 1:40.562 in Q3, compared to the 1:41.201 lap time that Williams pilot Albon set for P5. Sainz bowed out of qualifying for the Belgian GP in P15 after posting the slowest Q2 lap time with a 1:41.758.
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Friday 25th July to Sunday 27th July
Friday 25th July 10:30 1st Practice Friday 25th July 14:30 1st Sprint Qualifying Friday 25th July 14:52 2nd Sprint Qualifying Friday 25th July 15:12 3rd Sprint Qualifying Saturday 26th July 10:00 Sprint Saturday 26th July 14:00 1st Qualifying Saturday 26th July 14:25 2nd Qualifying Saturday 26th July 14:48 3rd Qualifying Sunday 27th July 13:00 Race
But Albon stunned Nico Rosberg more than anything after qualifying at Spa, as the two-time Grand Prix podium finisher told Anthony Davidson why the Williams ace intentionally turned the lap time delta indicator on his steering wheel on and off amid his flying lap this Saturday.
Albon told Sky Sports F1 (26/07, 16:35): “I don’t like running the delta. I find that if I run the delta, the live telemetry against my own personal [lap time], it takes me out of the moment of the lap. I think every driver does it.
“You look down at your lap time all the time. You do it a lot. I’m sure you do it when you do your simulator work? It distracts you, and it takes you away from the moment. So, I take it away. And then I have this hot key to basically turn it on, and then I turn it back off.
“And I normally turn it on and off only to see the wind. If I’m going into a corner, if there’s a bit of a tailwind or I’ve got a bit of a circulation or [a] tow, I need to know that before I go into the corners.”
While Rosberg admits that he ‘constantly’ checked the lap delta on his steering wheel during the 2016 F1 drivers’ championship winner’s career, the German just cannot understand why Albon turned his delta on during qualifying for the Belgian GP to follow where the wind was.
Rosberg added: “If I remember back, I’m constantly, even during a qualifying lap, constantly looking at this delta time all the time, which, perhaps, is a bit unnecessary because it’s just an unnecessary waste of concentration.
“But for him to have a button to switch it on all the time? That’s the weird part. [That’s more of a distraction], especially for him to switch it on so he understands where the wind is coming from? That doesn’t make sense to me. So, [I’m] not sure what he’s got going on.”
Alex Albon is ‘the first driver’ Anthony Davidson has ‘ever heard’ use a lap delta toggle switch
Photo by SIMON WOHLFAHRT/AFP via Getty Images
Albon’s explanation also stunned Davidson while the pair reviewed his fastest lap from Q3 at the Belgian GP on Saturday. The former Super Aguri star even admits that Albon is the ‘first’ Formula 1 driver he has ‘ever’ heard claim they intentionally turn their lap delta on and off.
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Davidson replied: “You’re the first driver I’ve ever heard do that! I’ve heard of mechanics and things taping over a young driver’s [delta]. I’ve never heard of an F1 driver purposely toggling your reference lap time on and off. Amazing!”
Albon’s method clearly worked for him on Saturday to score Williams’ best qualifying result of the 2025 F1 season so far with P5 on the grid for the Belgian GP. The London-born Thai’s performance will also encourage him after qualifying for and finishing the F1 Sprint in P16.