Sainz Crashes Out as Albon Shines in Thrilling Aussie GP

Alexander Albon delivered a shock P4 for Williams in Melbourne, while Carlos Sainz’s early crash marked a disastrous start to his season.

What a way to kick off the season! Alexander Albon delivered a masterclass at the Australian Grand Prix, securing a remarkable 4th place for Williams F1 in a chaotic race. This marks the team’s best result in a full Grand Prix since Lance Stroll’s podium in Baku back in 2017.

Right from the start, Williams F1 positioned itself as the leading midfield contender, and Albon even got the better of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

“For a moment, I thought about the podium, but in conditions like these, survival comes first,” Albon admitted after the race.

“I’m absolutely thrilled for the team. We had a great test in Bahrain, a solid start to the weekend on Friday and Saturday, and Sunday was just the cherry on top.”

Albon highlighted the difficulty of racing in such tricky conditions:

“It’s incredibly tough out there. The cars run so low to the ground, and you can really feel the painted lines on the track.”

“Our pace was strong, and even during the restarts, the car felt great. There’s still a lot to learn, and that’s exciting. The competition is extremely tight, and if you execute things well, you can fight with the top teams. This season is going to be a real battle.”

Williams’ Flawless Strategy Pays Off

Williams F1’s race strategy was both subtle and brilliant, helping Albon capitalize on every opportunity.

“As a team, we executed everything perfectly today,” he praised. “The first race of the season is never easy when it comes to strategy and weekend approach, but we absolutely nailed it to secure P4.”

While Albon is realistic about the challenges ahead, he sees this result as proof of the team’s progress:

“It’s just an incredible start and shows how much we’ve improved from last year. Let’s be honest—this kind of result won’t happen often this season.”

“We’ve talked internally about how crucial it is to maximize points early in the season, especially with rookies on the grid. Today was a perfect example of that.”

Despite his confidence in tricky conditions, Albon admitted that the race was mentally exhausting:

“I trust myself in these situations—I know my limits and when not to push too hard. But starting from P6, I would have been happy finishing P7 if a Ferrari got ahead of me.”

“Ending up in P4, though? Honestly, I wouldn’t want to relive this race! I’m just glad it’s over.”

With unpredictable winds and overheating intermediate tires, Albon knew he was up against it.

Williams’ Race Pace: A Work in Progress

Albon was realistic about Williams’ overall performance, acknowledging they weren’t as fast as they’d like to be.

“To be fair, compared to RB and Alpine, we weren’t as competitive as we hoped. But we were much stronger in these conditions than last year.”

“It was reassuring to see that the pace was still there. I knew I could take some risks when the pit stop window opened.”

“When I pushed, I caught Yuki [Tsunoda] quite easily. I was just waiting to see if he would pit or not. In the end, we made the right call by stopping first.”

Sainz’s Costly Mistake Ends His Race Early

On the other side of the garage, Carlos Sainz endured a nightmare start to his season, crashing out early due to a costly error—one that also caught out rookie Isack Hadjar.

“This shouldn’t have happened,” Sainz admitted. “I had a mistimed gear shift that caused the crash.”

“After shifting gears, I had too much acceleration. I won’t go into technical details, but that’s essentially what happened. We’ll learn from it. I’ve reviewed the data, and the issue is clear. I feel more at ease knowing I wasn’t pushing too hard under the safety car conditions.”

Despite the setback, Sainz remained focused on the bigger picture:

“I lacked experience in that moment, but that’s how it goes. We missed out on a race, but Alex finished fourth thanks to some great strategy calls, which is a fantastic result for the team.”

“Now, my only focus is on the Chinese Grand Prix.”

With Williams F1 hitting the ground running and Sainz already looking for redemption, the 2024 season is shaping up to be an exciting battle in the midfield.