Sainz reveals qualifying issue hurting Williams’ race day potential

Carlos Sainz might have scored only a single point in Singapore, but the Spaniard’s spirited charge from the back of the grid told a deeper story – one about pace, perseverance, and a persistent qualifying flaw that continues to undermine Williams’ race-day potential.

Williams’ Singapore weekend suffered a major blow late on Saturday. After qualifying respectively 13th and 12th, Sainz and team-mate Alex Albon were both hit with demotions when their FW47s were found to have breached regulations with a non-compliant rear wing.

What had looked like a solid platform for a points finish suddenly became an uphill battle, with Sainz shuffled down to 18th on the grid and Albon starting from the pitlane.

From Penalty Pain to Points Salvage

But under the floodlights on Sunday night, the Spaniard delivered a quietly brilliant recovery. Over a mammoth 50-lap stint on medium tyres, he clawed his way through the field, resisting Oliver Bearman’s late pressure on fresher rubber and sealing 10th place after a well-timed switch to softs – earning a hard-fought point that few had predicted.

From 13th I was hopeful of points, from 18th probably less,” Sainz admitted after the race.

“To be honest, all of our simulations said we needed Safety Cars at the right times to get points but the pace was so good today that we managed to extract a point out of a difficult Singapore.

“Boring one, because it was a one-stop that nothing really happened, but we had such a strong pace and such a good overtaking at the end that I think we were one of the only midfield cars to be able to make it through the field.”

It was a subtle but significant reminder that while Williams may struggle to shine in qualifying, its race-day form – and Sainz’s measured execution – are strong.

Qualifying Woes: Car or Tyres?

Despite his commendable recovery drive, Sainz was clear-eyed about the root of Williams’ qualifying difficulties. While tyre warm-up issues are often invoked, the Spaniard believes the problem lies deeper within the car’s design.

“I think an ideal weekend would have been a P7 or P8. Realistically speaking in the race we had a lot of pace,” he explained.

“Again maybe a bit like in Baku we could have been mixing it up with [Andrea Kimi] Antonelli, maybe possibly if we would have started next to him.

“But the reality is that we have a weakness in qualifying that we are trying to address. We keep criticising the tyre preparation.

“My feeling after a few races, and the more I understand the car, is that it’s a weakness of the car, also not a weakness of switching on and off the tyre.

“And probably that weakness in quality is what makes us also very strong in the race and makes us do 50 laps on a Medium.

“So you cannot have it all. We just need to reverse engineer a bit the car and see how we can put ourselves in a better position for Sundays.”

His assessment underlines a complex trade-off: the very characteristics that make the FW47 such a strong race car may be what hinder its single-lap potential.

A Team Still in Transition

The rear-wing blunder wasn’t the only hiccup for Williams in Singapore. Albon’s FP1 brake issue and Sainz’s own qualifying lap errors compounded the team’s challenges.

Yet, the latter remained diplomatic, emphasizing growth over grudges.

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“It’s definitely not hard feelings between any of us,” he added. “I think the team acknowledges we’re still making mistakes in these kind of things which can happen.

“We are in a building year of trying to become a better team and definitely yesterday we all did mistakes. I did mistakes in my quali lap that cost us a Q3. The team did a mistake with the legality of the rear wing on both cars. A mistake with Alex [Albon] in FP1 with the brakes.

“You know we’re still making mistakes, all of us, as long as we don’t repeat mistakes and we keep learning. That’s I think the key for us.”

As Williams continues its development, Sainz’s resilience and candid analysis offer hope. If the Grove squad can crack their qualifying conundrum, the FW47’s race-day prowess could make them regular points contenders.

For now, Sainz’s Singapore point is a reminder: even from the back, this team’s got fight.

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