Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz reflected on a disappointing qualifying session for Williams at Formula 1‘s Italian Grand Prix, despite promising pace in practice.
Coming into the race weekend at Monza, expectations were high for the pair of Sainz and Albon.
The ground effects generation of Williams cars has been speedy in a straight line, and the inherent layout of Monza was touted to suit the FW47.
During Friday practice, this seemed to translate on track as well, with Sainz finishing in the top three during both sessions and Albon rounding it off in seventh.
However, qualifying turned out to be a completely different affair as the Grove-based duo were knocked out in Q2 as the team’s struggles with the tyres continued.
“This weekend I think we tried absolutely everything in terms of out-laps, prep laps, and could never get it to work,” Albon told media including Motorsport Week.
“What you see in free practice is you see us do push laps, try to get on the first lap, it’s never ready on the first lap, do two cool down laps, we go again, the tyre gets hotter, it starts to work a bit more, it feels good.
“In qualifying, you have the minimum delta times, you have to respect, you’re basically forced into making it first lap, and we can’t seem to get that tyre to bite.”
For the Anglo-Thai driver, the timing of his Q2 laps also impeded his progress.
He detailed how he was called into the FIA weighbridge, which meant his flying efforts were consigned between periods of heavy traffic on track.
“I got weighbridged in Q2, so I basically have to get sent out in the middle of everyone’s push laps to guarantee myself a clear out-lap, and an out-lap that’s maybe 15 seconds quicker than everyone else’s,” he explained.
“And then I don’t even get the out-lap I want because I have to let all the cars pass who are on their push lap. And then by the time I go into Turn 1 I have to overtake six cars during my lap.”
The 29-year-old categorised tyre preparation as one of the biggest limitations that the team is currently facing.
“So, ifs, buts and maybes. In the end, the problem is the tyre and the fact that we have to be so different for everyone. We cannot join everyone else out [of] the pit lane and do the same thing as them,” he surmised.
“And so, yeah, it’s frustrating, but it’s what we have. I don’t think we should focus it so much on tyres, it could also be the way that our car just, in terms of geometry or whatever, we need to investigate why. Maybe we’re just not putting the load into the tyre like other teams are.
“Maybe also we’re just a bit more sensitive in terms of, we know our car is wind sensitive. Maybe it’s also a bit tyre sensitive for us. Yeah, not fantastic.”
What is holding Sainz and Albon back at Williams
All eyes were on Sainz, who took pole position with Ferrari at Monza in 2023, after the pace he had showcased during practice.
That said, the Spanish racing driver was acutely aware of the struggles that were coming his way during qualifying on Saturday.
“Yesterday I was here in the TV pen and everyone was very excited about seeing me third, but I said we were running a bit light and, not only that, we had five or six laps to get the Soft tyres to put it exactly on the window where it gives the right balance to our car,” he expanded.
Sainz then went on to outline the pace differential apparent between his practice and qualifying runs.
“That seems to give us two or three tenths,” he continued. “The problem in Q1 and Q2 is that you get one lap with the tyre and very rarely we actually get both axles and the balance of the tyres to work for us and we struggle a lot.
“We struggled yesterday on the first lap of the tyres, that’s why I was a bit concerned going into today. We struggled in FP3 on the first lap of the tyres and in quali on the first lap of the tyres,
“We never seemed to do a good enough lap, but every weekend I learn something and I can give feedback to the team about what I think it is.
“You will see us hopefully improving it because at the moment it’s what’s holding, I think, two experienced guys like Alex and me back with this randomness in quali.”
His team-mate Albon, however, is still cautiously optimistic about their chances in the race, where the pit wall might be able to ameliorate their tyre issues.
“We have a quick car, you’re right, and in a race the tyres get hot and they actually work.
“I think we’re going to be okay. It’s just one-stop DRS trains that I worry about. Maybe with the strategy we can do something.”
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