In terms of the qualifying session, the Williams team put in a solid performance on Saturday, with Logan Sargent and Alexander Albon both making it into Q2 and, although they did not progress from there, the duo will start from 14th and 13th respectively, giving the team a chance to get into the points on Sunday.
Still, both drivers believe they could have done better on Saturday.
Both Albon and Sargent pointed to congestion on the track as a major problem, with Sargent in particular venting his frustration over the radio at the end of the qualifying session – the American driver was somewhat more calm when giving his assessment of the session, but his frustration was still apparent.
“It was an eventful qualifying and I’m really happy with the first lap I did in the light rain, it was disappointing to make a mistake on the second lap and I’d like to say a massive thank you to the team for doing a fantastic job getting the car back on track,” Sargent said.
“In Q2 the pace was a lot better but the air was dirty in the sectors and other drivers stayed ahead for longer than necessary and got dirty air on the front wing,” the American added. “At this track it’s all about tenths of a second so if you overheat, you’re at a big disadvantage here. I’m disappointed for myself and the team because I know I had more chances today but I’m going to push forward and fight tomorrow.”
Sargent said that his spin in Q1 could have been costly, but the team in the garage had done a great job to get the FW46 into a race-ready condition.
On the other side of the garage, Albon also addressed some of the traffic issues and the “fight for clean air” that all drivers faced on Saturday.
“There was definitely more to it today. We were caught in dirty air for most of Q2 and then when we started our lap other drivers were on their outlaps so it was difficult with the traffic. Everything needs to be in order here and we didn’t make the most of it today so it’s frustrating. Tomorrow is a long race, there are a lot of pit stops as the degradation is quite high as we’ve seen in the F2 and F3 races and it’s a fight for clean air which is essential at this circuit,” Albon said. “It’s frustrating to end today like this but we’ll take what we have tomorrow.”
Williams sporting director Sven Smeets praised the work of both drivers and said the team should be in the fight on Sunday.
“Qualifying today was a little more exciting because of the weather than many of us expected. There was light rain intermittently which made the track conditions difficult to read, but the best moments were probably at the start and end of Q1. Logan had a great first timed lap which was enough to get him through to Q2, while Alex had a great lap at the end to get through,” said Smeets. “Unfortunately we didn’t get a good push lap in Q2 and there was too much track congestion, but both cars are in a good position to score points tomorrow. The temperatures are expected to rise again tomorrow so tyre management, pit stops and having clean air will be key.”
Williams currently sits in ninth place in the F1 Constructors’ Championship standings with four points, five behind Alpine in eighth place.
Can they find a way to close that lead tomorrow?
