Williams F1 impressed in Melbourne, but soft tire issues remain. Sainz and Albon stay positive as they hunt for qualifying pace.
Carlos Sainz wasted no time making an impact on his official Williams debut in Melbourne, clocking the second-fastest time in FP1. But as expected, the FW47 still lacks single-lap pace, and things got trickier in FP2.
“A Positive Start, but Work to Do”
“We had a really strong first session, which is a great way to kick off the weekend,” Sainz explained. “But in FP2, we just couldn’t get the soft tires to work, so that’s something we need to figure out before qualifying.”
With an incredibly tight field, Sainz knows every tenth of a second will count. “If we unlock the soft tire performance, we can be competitive. There are a lot of teams putting in quick laps, so tomorrow it’ll be about nailing a clean session and seeing where we end up.”
Albon Struggles but Stays Optimistic
Alex Albon found himself trailing his new teammate throughout the day but remains upbeat, as long as Williams can solve their soft tire issues.
“The good news is that we’ve improved our overall pace,” Albon said. “FP1 was a bit tricky, but I felt much better in FP2.”
However, the soft tires were a headache. “We lost time to our rivals on them, the car didn’t feel right, and we need to understand why. Qualifying is key here, but it’s not a disaster. The usual front-runners are fast, as expected.”
Finding the Right Formula for Q3
Albon believes Williams has a shot at Q3—if they get the tires working. “On mediums, we’d be comfortably in Q3, but the softs aren’t behaving as we thought. We expected them to be similar to the mediums, but they’re not, so we have to adapt.”
With both drivers showing promise, all eyes will be on Williams as they fine-tune their setup for a crucial qualifying session.
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Williams Faces Soft Tire Struggles Ahead of Quali Williams Faces Soft Tire Struggles Ahead of Quali
