Qualifying in Las Vegas delivered a night of contrasting emotions for Williams, with Carlos Sainz shining while Alex Albon endured a difficult and disappointing session. Sainz secured an impressive third-fastest time in Q3, but for Albon the evening ended far earlier than expected. The Thai-British driver will start tomorrow’s race from sixteenth on the grid.
Albon’s session came to an abrupt halt in Q1 after he slid into the barriers on the extremely wet and slippery street circuit. Although he managed to limp the car back to the pits with visible damage, the team could not get him back out in time, leaving him unable to improve his lap times as the track evolved.
Albon hits the wall
“There was a small bump on the track, in a place where you really wouldn’t want to find one. The situation was quite risky for everyone, with a lot of aquaplaning. I’m surprised they let us run with this weather, honestly,” Alex Albon admitted after the session.
“It was fun while it lasted. I was just caught out, I don’t have much more to say. The lap would have been very good, I’ve been quick all weekend… sometimes it just goes like that,” he added.
The disappointment is understandable, especially considering the strong performance of his teammate. Climbing back through the field from sixteenth will be a tough challenge, but in Las Vegas unpredictability is part of the show. Anything can still happen under the lights on the Strip.
Starting 16th on a track known for processional races in the dry isn’t ideal, but Vegas has produced surprises before and Sunday night is forecast completely dry. If Alex Albon can keep his head and the FW47 shows the same race pace it did on Thursday long runs, a big recovery drive is still on the cards.
For now though, the overriding emotion in the Williams garage is what might have been – and a quiet hope that the stewards listen next time a driver says the conditions are on the limit.
Leave a Reply