The Spaniard blames poor timing and traffic for his Q2 exit, while Albon struggles to find sufficient pace after Sprint repairs.
Williams endured a disappointing qualifying session at the Singapore Grand Prix, with Carlos Sainz finishing 14th after a poorly executed Q2 run and Alex Albon eliminated in 18th during Q1.
Despite showing encouraging pace early in the session, Sainz was left frustrated by Williams’ management of his final qualifying attempt, while Albon struggled to extract enough performance from a car that had required modifications following an incident in the Sprint.
Sainz frustrated by Williams’ Q2 timing
Sainz had reason to be optimistic after a competitive opening qualifying session, during which he felt increasingly comfortable behind the wheel of his Williams.
However, his hopes of progressing into Q3 were compromised when the team delayed sending him out for his final Q2 attempt.
“We completed some very good laps in Q1. I felt confident and our performance level looked strong, so it’s disappointing that we didn’t execute Q2 properly,” Sainz explained.
“We waited too long in the garage, and from that point everything became messy.”
The Spaniard revealed that the delay forced him into a rushed final attempt, which was further compromised by traffic.
“We were rushing to cross the line in time, and I was held up by an Audi in the first sector of my final flying lap.”
The result left Sainz 14th in qualifying, although George Russell’s power unit penalty is expected to promote him to 13th on the starting grid.
That would also place the Williams driver on the cleaner side of the circuit, potentially offering an advantage at the start.
“Hopefully, we’ll start tomorrow from 13th on the clean side of the grid,” Sainz said.
“Even though overtaking is extremely difficult here, we’ll do our best to achieve a good result.”
Albon eliminated in Q1 after disrupted preparation
Alex Albon faced a different set of challenges, failing to progress beyond Q1 despite feeling relatively satisfied with his qualifying lap.
The Thai driver finished 18th, admitting that the Williams simply lacked the performance required to advance.
“I was relatively happy with my lap, but it wasn’t enough to get through to Q2 today,” Albon said.
His preparations had also been disrupted by an incident during the Sprint, which forced Williams to make several changes to his car before qualifying.
“We had to make several modifications to the car after the Sprint incident, so thanks to the team for getting everything ready in time for qualifying.”
Unlike Sainz, Albon did not identify a significant driving error or traffic problem as the main reason for his elimination, instead acknowledging the team’s lack of outright pace.
Williams looks to strategy for recovery opportunities
Despite the disappointing qualifying result, Albon remains hopeful that Sunday’s race could provide opportunities to recover positions.
With overtaking notoriously difficult around Marina Bay, tyre management and strategy could prove particularly important.
“It’s going to be a long race tomorrow, so you never know what might happen,” Albon explained.
“Tyre degradation looks relatively manageable at the moment, so it’ll be interesting to see how the strategies develop throughout the field, especially knowing how difficult it is to overtake here.”
The Williams driver also promised to keep fighting regardless of his starting position.
“Whatever happens, we’ll give it everything in front of the fans tomorrow.”
With Sainz expected to start 13th and Albon facing a recovery drive from the lower end of the grid, Williams will need to maximise its race strategy and capitalise on any opportunities that emerge during Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix.
