The Brazilian Grand Prix was a tough weekend for Williams, with both Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz finishing outside the points. Since the Sprint race in Austin, where the Spaniard secured a third place, the team from Grove has struggled to score with both drivers, a slump that started at the Singapore GP and has continued through the season.
The difficulties were evident in São Paulo, from the Sprint qualifying—described by Carlos Sainz as the “worst execution I’ve ever seen in my life”—to the main race on Sunday. Starting 12th on the grid, Alex Albon managed to gain only one position, leaving his FW47 outside the points. Adding to the frustration, he set the fastest lap of the race, the first of his F1 career, which no longer grants extra points under the current regulations (previously in place from 2019 until last year).
“Today was an exciting race for the fans, but unfortunately for us, it was a weekend to forget,” Alex Albon said. “We had decent pace when we could show it, but we struggled throughout the weekend. I think staying out too long in the first stint cost us, and we couldn’t recover from that. In the final stint, we were fast and gaining positions, but we just missed out on scoring a point. It’s frustrating that our rivals scored today, but we’ll regroup and look forward to a better weekend in Las Vegas.”
Carlos Sainz had a shorter comment, finishing 13th after a race hampered by early contact. “It wasn’t the day I hoped for. Once I got squeezed in turn one, the car sustained significant damage, which compromised my race. We stayed in contention for points for most of the race, but after a slow first stop and the accumulated damage, it was over. It’s time to go home, analyze, and see what we can do on these types of circuits. Qatar will also be a challenge. Only a few races remain, so we cannot relax. We move forward.”
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