Alex Albon in Q3 again: “The lap was just how I wanted it” | F1 Japanese GP. Alexander Albon secured his third Q3 appearance of the season, finishing 9th in Suzuka qualifying.

A misstep
A mixed qualifying for Williams in Suzuka, with the official starting grid set by the race stewards following a maneuver by Carlos Sainz at the end of Q2. The Spaniard, already excluded from a possible top-10 entry, didn’t notice the approaching Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton behind him as they braked for Turn 1, resulting in an impeding penalty that cost the former Ferrari driver three positions on the grid.

As a result, Carlos Sainz, who had originally qualified 12th, will start from 15th. Regardless of the incident, this outcome once again highlights the difficulties the #55 driver has been facing in his new chapter at Grove, as shown by the third race where he will start behind his teammate: “Today’s feelings are mixed,” he commented. “We made good progress this weekend and I felt much more comfortable with the car. There are still some things to fix here and there, of course, but this track requires a lot of confidence, and I feel we’ve made a step forward. On the other hand, I lost about a tenth in S3 on my final lap, so Q3 was within reach, and I’m obviously not happy to have missed it. However, I prefer to focus on the positive aspects of today and look ahead to tomorrow’s race, where we will do everything we can to gain some positions and have a positive Sunday.” – he pointed out.

Still among the top ten
Had Carlos Sainz started 12th, the result would still have been lower than the one set by Alexander Albon, for the third time in Q3 with a final 9th place, putting the Anglo-Thai driver in the fight for a possible points finish: “It didn’t go badly! I’m happy with another Q3; we have a pretty consistent car! However, my best lap felt very different from the others. We need to analyze everything and understand why it changed, but that lap was just how I wanted it. The balance I was looking for was there. There are a couple of corners where we struggled, so if we can improve them, we’ll be even more competitive. Tomorrow it looks like the track will start wet and then gradually dry, so the decision to change will be crucial. It should be a good race.” – the Spaniard concluded.