Williams showed grit in Shanghai, with Albon impressing again while Sainz struggled to unlock pace in a puzzling Grand Prix.
Williams walked away from the Chinese Grand Prix with valuable points, even though the weekend didn’t go perfectly. Alex Albon finished seventh after the disqualification of both Ferraris, but even before the official results changed, the Thai driver was already pleased with his performance.
“I’m really happy,” Albon said after the race. “It was a strange one – we were very comfortable in the first stint, but we stayed out too long on the hard tyres, which turned out to be stronger than we expected. Still, we had good pace at the end and were closing in on the cars ahead.”
Albon Delivers, Sainz Left Searching
Shanghai hasn’t traditionally been a strong track for Williams, making this result even more encouraging. “It’s not been a great circuit for us historically, but compared to Melbourne, it actually suited us better this time,” Albon added.
“Even though we didn’t execute everything perfectly this weekend, we still came away with points – and that’s a big positive. I’m proud of how we bounced back after making setup changes. We showed good race pace.”
Carlos Sainz, on the other hand, had a more frustrating race. He crossed the line outside the points but was later promoted to 10th due to penalties handed to Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, and Pierre Gasly. Despite the single point, Sainz wasn’t satisfied.
“We made the right strategy calls, but the car just didn’t have the pace,” he explained. “I struggled with the front end and had to save a lot of fuel – but it didn’t make the difference.”
“I’m not happy because I was really quick in winter testing, and I don’t know where that pace went this weekend. I need to sit down, analyse everything, and come back stronger in Japan.”
Sainz Struggles, Albon Stays Sharp
Sainz called it one of the most surprising drops in performance he’s experienced. “I was fast in Bahrain and at the start of the weekend in Australia, but then the pace just disappeared. I made similar changes to what Alex did, but it was a lot trickier for me – I had much more graining.”
Even before the post-race disqualifications, Williams team principal James Vowles was pleased to see Albon score points for the second race in a row. He remains confident in Sainz’s ability to deliver strong results.
“It’s fantastic to come away from the first two races of the season with points on the board,” Vowles said. “I’m proud of how the team pulled together after the issues we had in the Sprint. We gave Alex a solid car today.”
“Carlos is a proven winner – he knows how to get the job done. It’s on us to keep working with him, adjusting, and helping him unlock his full potential.”
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Williams Score Again as Albon Delivers, Sainz Left Puzzled
Williams Score Again as Albon Delivers, Sainz Left Puzzled
