Qualifying in Jeddah was perhaps even more exciting than the final standings suggest, with three teams fighting for pole until the last corner. However, scrolling through the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix qualifying results, the top three rows don’t include only the usual front-running teams, but also Williams, which with Carlos Sainz managed to secure a superb sixth place.
Another standout performance over one lap, adding to last week’s in Bahrain, where he finished eighth. Without a doubt, there were some favorable factors in Saudi qualifying, such as Lando Norris’s crash at the start of Q3, but the Spaniard managed to put the FW47 not only ahead of Yuki Tsunoda and Lewis Hamilton, but also on top among the midfield teams.
A satisfying result for Williams, built on several elements. First of all, Sainz was the only driver alongside Max Verstappen to complete two runs in Q3 after the red flag, while Gasly, who had planned the same strategy, failed to complete his lap after making a mistake.
As both Verstappen and George Russell also mentioned, having two runs allows for more risk-taking, knowing that a banker lap is already secured in case of errors or incidents.
However, this is only one reason behind Williams’ effectiveness in Jeddah, as the Saudi track showcased all the qualities of the FW47 and, above all, masked some of the balance issues that had held Sainz back in the opening rounds, especially in medium- and low-speed sections.
Over the years, the Williams has always proven to be a rather difficult car to drive, requiring a very specific driving approach. That’s also one of the areas where Albon has consistently asked for improvement. It’s therefore logical that Sainz is also going through a period of adaptation to the car, working on handling characteristics that are very different from those of the Ferrari he was used to, particularly when it comes to extracting that final tenth.
Although Williams has tried to change some characteristics of the car to make it more driveable and versatile across a wider range of circuits, some elements of its DNA have remained unchanged, like its effectiveness on high-speed tracks that demand strong aerodynamic efficiency.
On a track where the balance between downforce and low drag matters most, and with fresh tyres providing excellent grip, Williams managed to extract the maximum from the car on the straights and in the fast, flowing corners where maintaining high speed is crucial—especially where throttle modulation can be minimized.
This is also evident in comparison to Alpine, which has already proven strong in high-speed sections and raced in Jeddah with extremely low-downforce wings to offset the deficit of its power unit compared to rivals. The Saudi asphalt, in fact, provides a lot of grip, allowing wings to be trimmed without overly destabilizing the rear in fast corners.
Last year, right here in Saudi Arabia, the A524 revealed its lack of downforce and excessive weight, but the work done over the past twelve months has shown the potential of the chassis. The team had invested over the 2023–2024 winter break to unlock new aerodynamic paths.
Now, in this area, Alpine is competing with the best midfield teams, including Williams itself, which in turn has designed a car clearly quicker and more solid on more circuits compared to last year, without betraying its DNA as a fast and efficient car on high-speed tracks.
“I’m really proud of the progress Carlos is making. He was in full control. It was fantastic to hear him on the radio, commanding the situation during the session and working with the team to find the best plan to get him as high as possible. And it was a brilliant lap. He gained a lot of time in turns one, two and three, and they managed to hold onto it,” said James Vowles, Williams’ Team Principal.
“I’m happy with the progress we’ve made. It’s the second qualifying in a row where we’re getting the most out of the car. We’re improving every weekend. I’m still learning a lot, every session and every run. But I’m happy—we’re ahead of a Ferrari and a Red Bull: that shows the progress we’ve made,” Carlos then added, commenting on qualifying.
Now the goal is to convert this strong qualifying into points. In Bahrain, Carlos Sainz admitted he probably overdid it trying to defend against faster cars in the first stint, leading to excessive tyre degradation that compromised his strategy. This is also something James Vowles is aware of, as he advised Carlos Sainz to resist the temptation to fight faster cars.
“Carlos himself said it, but we have to be a bit careful with Lewis. We can qualify there, but we’re not yet at that race pace level. So I think one of the lessons from Bahrain is that fighting with Ferrari was nice and looked spectacular, but it cost us a points position,” said the Williams Team Principal.
The FW47 can rely on high top speeds, and while it’s true that Jeddah has several DRS zones where overtaking is possible, completing a pass—especially when stuck in a DRS train in the dirty air of the first sector—is not that easy. Compared to last week, tyre degradation in Jeddah is also much more manageable.
“Trying to defend hard in Bahrain last week cost me a lot. I have to decide what my strategy will be tomorrow to score points: let faster cars go or fight with them and see what we can do. Right now, I’m 50/50. It would be fun for the show to fight, but we also have to realistically consider what we can achieve and whether it’s worth it,” Carlos Sainz concluded.
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