The F1 Australian GP qualifying session was a very good day for Carlos Sainz and Williams as they solidified their competitiveness from testing. Albon secured P6 ahead of the Ferrari duo, with Sainz in P10 despite some struggles throughout the session.
This performance has raised eyebrows across the paddock, with the team showing it could be a genuine top midfield contender moving forward. It’s a huge turnaround from a pretty terrible 2024 on track.
Scrappy F1 Australian GP qualifying for Carlos Sainz that yielded more results
Carlos Sainz admitted his first qualifying session with Williams was far from perfect but was nonetheless satisfied with the outcome. He had looked to have an edge on Albon through testing and practice, but in the end he was outpaced in Q3. His Q2 time was quicker and was P7 in that middle segment.
Speaking in the print media area after the session, he acknowledged the team’s progress, while also explaining the issues he faced as he fits into a new team and car.
“Very happy for the team, for Alex, even for myself, to be in Q3 with my first quali with Williams. You would have told us three months ago that we would have one car, P6, and the other P10, we would have definitely taken it. So, congrats to the whole team and to everyone involved.
“At the same time, obviously, myself, I had a bit of a scrappy qualifying. Honestly, since FP2 and FP3, on the soft tyres, I’ve been struggling to know where to find the lap time. With the outlap, with the set-up of the car, I felt like I was always one step behind.”
Sainz went on to describe how he felt like he was reacting to the car’s behavior rather than proactively reading how it will behave.
“I was trailing and reacting to the circumstances rather than being a bit of a step ahead, but it’s completely normal. And in a tight field, you’re going to pay, and today I paid the price a bit in Q3.
“But, as I said, it’s only a matter of time before it starts coming and putting together better laps, and I cannot wait.”
Adopting to a new car
During the winter testing in Bahrain, Sainz insisted that the limited testing time is hindering drivers who move to new teams from reaching their potential.
This has been a consistent talking point for Carlos Sainz, who insists that time is required to unlock his full potential with his new team.
“That’s why I know it sounds maybe like I was playing it down, but it’s exactly what ended up happening. But not only to me, everyone who’s changed teams, everyone who is a bit more new to the situation, you can see everyone’s trailing a bit in qualifying, because you’re always one step behind.
“And when you know a car very well, you can always be one step ahead. And that’s the difference between being one or two-tenths in front and being one or two-tenths behind.”
He then affirmed that despite the learning curve he has ahead of him, Saturday’s result is a positive outcome.
“I feel like this is just the beginning. I’m just going to get better at it. And I’m just going to keep improving. Massive learning curve for me and margin of improvement, which being in P10 in quali with Williams, it’s just good news for me.”
Expected rain
Looking ahead at the expected rain-filled race on Sunday, making strategy all the more critical.
However, Carlos Sainz admitted that the team didn’t make any set-up adjustments to prepare for the wet conditions, a standard theme these days for every F1 squad on the grid.
“No, I don’t think anyone has really tuned the car for the wet. Nowadays, you don’t do anything for the wet. You just put inters and see how it goes.
“From my side, I’ve done nothing. Tomorrow will be my first lap ever in a Williams in the wet. And it will be in a race, so there will be a steep learning curve.
“The same way that in quali was a huge learning curve for me, because I put sets of tyres on and I tried to understand how to find lap time with the car.”
