Rain man Sainz hoping for wet race after dazzling Vegas qualifying

Carlos Sainz showcased his wet-weather mastery in Friday’s Las Vegas Grand Prix qualifying, claiming a brilliant third on the grid and suggesting that he’d like the rain to continue for Saturday’s race.

The Williams charger delivered a qualifying masterclass in the treacherous wet conditions, snatching provisional pole in the dying moments of Q3 before yielding to the efforts of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.

After the session, Sainz was buzzing about how hooked-up the FW47 felt on Pirelli’s wet rubber, and especially on the extreme tyre.

“Yeah, it was a very good lap,” the Spaniard said.

“I thought it was a pole-worthy lap, like when I closed the lap, I saw myself in P1, and then I realised I was the first car across the flag, and yeah, maybe that was not going to last very long with these two guys coming behind. But it felt a really good quali.

“If anything, I think we were more competitive on the ex[treme] Wet in Q1 and Q2, and yeah, I wish we would have stayed ex Wet, because that’s the tyre that gave me the best feeling and the best confidence, as every time we were hitting the board, we were P1.

“But yeah, on [the] Inter, I was expecting to go slower, given our FP3 performance on Inter wasn’t great, and in the end, it turned out to be just fine, but yeah, in the end, it couldn’t be.”

Wet Conditions Play to Williams’ Strength

After a challenging first half of 2025 with Williams, Sainz has come into his own with the Grove-based outfit in the back half of the season.

“Yeah, I’ve had a good feeling,” Sainz said. “It’s just been very disrupted and we’ve never been able to show ourselves or show our pace in the top of the timings.

While most of his colleagues might prefer a dry track on race day, Sainz is openly rooting for the skies to open again come Saturday night. Why? Because in the dry, he’s realistic about Williams’ limitations.

“Obviously, in the dry, I don’t think we would have been more than a P6, P5, P7, P8 in that range,” he added.

“The wet allowed us today to shine a bit more and to lead through stages of Q1, Q2 and Q3. I don’t think in the dry that would have been possible and I don’t expect if the race is dry tomorrow to be able to hold on to P3, but I think in the wet, we were definitely quick.”

Holding the Fort Against Rivals

Starting third, Sainz knows he will face fierce pressure from drivers behind him, including George Russell and Oscar Piastri, as well as his own teammate. Nevertheless, he is determined to make life as difficult as possible for them.

“Well, I think it will be more than down to the pace rather than the risk I think that anyone can afford,” Sainz explained. “I’m also starting there up front and it’s a pretty good result if we can bring it home.

“So, I think we’re all more or less in, in similar positions. It’s more for me, it’s more about trying to hold on to that P3 if I can, given that there will be very fast cars coming behind with the Mercs, another McLaren, the Ferraris that were strong on the dry.

“So yeah I’m gonna give it my best shot. I mean you saw me in Baku or in Austin, when I’m up there fighting for the podium I try not to make mistakes and see if I can make myself as wide as possible and see if we can bring home a stronger than expected result.”

Sainz’s combination of skill, experience, and confidence in the wet has him eyeing a strong Saturday night performance, where anything could happen under the bright lights of the Las Vegas Strip.

Las Vegas Grand Prix - Qualifying results

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