Williams, what’s behind Carlos Sainz’s P3 in qualifying?
Williams experienced a qualifying session in Las Vegas with two very different stories. On one hand, there was Carlos Sainz securing an excellent third place, while on the other, Alexander Albon suffered a disappointing sixteenth, eliminated in Q1 after a collision with the barriers exiting the penultimate corner. The session, held under full wet conditions in Q1 and Q2 and intermediate tyres in Q3, tested every team to the limit. Yet, Grove’s squad clearly exceeded expectations.
Albon’s struggles in Q1: “Few clean laps. There was aquaplaning, they should have shown a red flag”
Q1 started with most drivers on intermediate tyres, but from the outlap it was clear they were not ideal for the conditions. In previous races, teams have opted for the green-marked intermediate even with heavy rain, but here, grip on the track was extremely low, especially since it was a street circuit and air temperatures barely reached 10°C. Adding to the challenge was the track layout: few long fast corners but long straights, making it difficult to warm up the tyres and even harder to maintain that warmth, especially at demanding braking points like Turn 14, which comes after almost 2 km along the Strip, causing a sharp drop in tyre and brake temperatures.
It’s no surprise that many drivers experienced aquaplaning there: “I think Turkey in 2020 was even worse, but today was really tough,” commented Albon. “There was aquaplaning at various points that seemed completely random. Honestly, I’m surprised we even raced. The aquaplaning at Turn 14 was incredible, and it was a bit of a lottery whether you got through or not. I think they could have shown a red flag.”
Could Albon’s crash have been avoided? Data tells the story
In Q1, the FW47 immediately showed strong pace, at least in Sainz’s hands. The Spaniard posted consecutive precise laps without mistakes, even briefly reaching second place a minute before the end, before finishing twelfth with a 1:54.8. Meanwhile, Albon struggled to assemble a competitive lap, both due to a lack of feeling with the car and poorly timed yellow flags: “The laps I managed in clean air satisfied me, but unfortunately we never really got a fully clean lap without a yellow flag. In the final corners, everything was happening at once, with various signals, and you still had to cross the line on time,” the former Red Bull driver explained.
Albon appeared to have found the rhythm on his last attempt; telemetry showed he was two seconds ahead before Turn 14, enough for a comfortable P4. However, he over-rotated under acceleration, hitting the wall and damaging the suspension.
Team Principal James Vowles acknowledged the team could have done more, such as warning him to be cautious on the following three corners given his excellent lap so far, though he emphasized driver responsibility: “It’s a shame because Alex was fast all weekend. He made a small mistake, but in Las Vegas, small mistakes are punished. The incident could have been avoided with better communication and more precise information from the team. We win and lose as a team, and we’ll come back stronger with Alex tomorrow.”
Sainz immediately comfortable: FW47 layout and team strategy shine
Carlos Sainz confirmed his strong Q1 pace in Q2, as the rain eased and the ideal racing line began to dry. The Nevada layout suits the FW47, requiring low aerodynamic load and few long corners—a historical weakness for the team. Sainz finished third in Q2 on full wet tyres with a 1:51.1 behind Isack Hadjar and Lando Norris.
Q3 saw all ten drivers on intermediates. Williams had not looked particularly competitive on this tyre in FP3, but setup changes before qualifying helped. Carlos Sainz consistently stayed in the top four after his first two flying laps without recharging the battery. On his final attempt, after a slower lap to recharge energy, he set 1:48.3, just four hundredths behind Verstappen and three and a half tenths off Norris. At one point, he was even provisional pole: “Even though I started my last attempt a bit too early, I knew I had a chance for pole and for a moment thought I had it! But two very fast cars behind me improved and overtook us,” Carlos Sainz said.
Comparing Sainz with the Red Bull shows the strategic difference: FW47 was faster in nearly all straights due to Williams’ decision to run two consecutive flying laps at the end, leaving the battery not fully charged for the final push. This also helped Carlos Sainz against George Russell, who was right behind without full battery.
Carlos Sainz’s excellent feeling was clear as he was one of only four Q3 drivers to set personal best sectors on his final lap: “I had good feel. Everything was fragmented, and we never fully showed our pace at the top. On dry, I don’t think we’d be better than P5-P8. Today, the wet let us shine more, staying ahead in parts of Q1, Q2, and Q3.”
Regarding the car’s competitiveness, he was pleasantly surprised, though top teams had a slight edge on intermediates: “I think we were more competitive on Extreme Wet in Q1 and Q2. In Q3, I wished we had stayed on Extreme Wet—they gave me the best feel and confidence. Every time I looked at the timing board, we were first. With intermediates, I expected to be slower, since FP3 wasn’t great with them, but in the end it went well… though not enough for pole.”
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