Spanish driver Carlos Sainz, behind the wheel of the Williams, gave a realistic assessment of his team’s situation, still far from the midfield due to excess weight affecting multiple components of the car. Despite this, Carlos Sainz managed to reach Q2 in 16th position, outperforming theoretically faster cars like Ollie Bearman’s Haas and beating his teammate Alexander Albon, who will start behind him at the Japanese Grand Prix.
“We are unfortunately struggling right now just to get the car into Q2, beating cars that are theoretically faster, like Ollie in the Haas. Personally, I’m happy to be extracting the maximum from the car in these early races of the year, but at the same time I’m frustrated because there’s not much more we can do and we’re still 7-8 tenths from the midfield and 2 seconds off the benchmark cars,” Carlos Sainz said to Dazn and ESPN, highlighting the mix of personal satisfaction and frustration over the persistent performance gap.
The FIA change and its partial effect
The FIA reduced the maximum energy recharge limit for batteries in qualifying from 9 to 8 MJ to try to curb the “clipping” phenomenon, meaning sudden engine power cuts. Carlos Sainz evaluated that this modification had only a partial impact.
“For most of the weekend it worked, but then in qualifying, when we pushed a bit harder, the super-clipping returned for everyone and we suffered with the engine cutting power very early on the straights. So, in some ways yes, in others no,” explained the Madrid-born driver.
According to Sainz, the FIA measure brought benefits during the calmer sessions of the weekend, but when drivers increased the push in qualifying, the clipping problem reappeared noticeably for all, affecting straight-line performance.
A season still uphill for Williams
Carlos Sainz approached the Suzuka weekend with humility, aware that Williams is not yet capable of regularly competing for points. Despite extracting the maximum from the car in the early races of the season, the gap to benchmark cars remains significant. His comments reflect a dual feeling: pride in his personal performance and disappointment over the car’s inherent limitations.
The Spanish driver painted a realistic picture of the current situation: a team that must continue to maximize every small margin available while awaiting developments that could reduce the gap to the midfield. The FIA change, though well-intentioned, has not yet fully resolved the energy management issues that appear under maximum strain.
Carlos Sainz’s qualifying performance at Suzuka was a masterclass in damage limitation, yet it underscored the structural deficit Williams still faces. Based on the content of his post-session feedback, the battle against “superclipping” remains a primary hurdle for the 2026 power units, regardless of recent FIA interventions.
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