CARLOS SAINZ REVEALS THREE-MONTH EXPERIMENT FUELLED STRONG WILLIAMS QATAR QUALIFYING
Carlos Sainz credits a long-term setup experiment for his P7 qualifying in Qatar. The Williams driver pushed the FW47's limits after learning from a poor Budapest race.
Williams’ Carlos Sainz shared that an experiment that took three months to pay off helped him perform well in the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix qualifying.
In his first season racing with Williams, Sainz has shown his skill a few times. But the team based in Grove had some problems with its FW47 after the race in Hungary earlier this year.
After Sainz’s “very solid” qualifying performance, the team said they had been experimenting before the race at the Losail International Circuit.
Sainz gave credit to his team, who tried hard to turn flashes of brilliance into steady speed, which let Sainz and Albon compete with their main rivals.
“Yes, we took another step forward in qualifying, and it seemed to move things in a good way,” Sainz told Sky Sports F1.
“Overall, I'm just happy with how the weekend is going so far. We've been steady, got a point in the sprint, and now we're in a better spot for qualifying, in the top seven going into the race.”
Sainz’s good result was another success with Williams. The qualifying performance was based on Sainz’s ability to push as hard as he could.
After qualifying, Sainz thought he had reached the FW47's limit, with a few laps that showed how confident he was with the new setup they were testing.
“I did three good laps in qualifying. I hit 20.2 in Q2, and I felt like I just couldn’t go any faster than that. It felt like that was the most the car could do,” Sainz told the media, including Motorsport Week.
“In Q3, even with the plastic scare and some damage to the car that had to be fixed, I don’t know if I had damage still. But after that issue, I still managed to hit 20.2 and get P7, so I’ll take it. We’re in a good spot.”
What was the Sainz-Williams Qatar experiment?
The 31-year-old said after qualifying that the idea for his Qatar setup came months earlier. After a tough time in Budapest, Sainz insisted that the team could improve. Sainz told his team that the “off-weekend” should be a chance to learn instead of just trying to get better quickly.
“Yes, I’ve been pushing since Budapest,” Sainz said.
“We had a bad weekend at this kind of track corner, so I said, let’s use this year to learn and try something in Qatar, because we expected to struggle in Qatar. It should be a tough weekend for us.”
Instead of avoiding a track that was known for showing weaknesses, Sainz accepted the challenge. Sainz brought his ideas from simulator testing, and the team added other ideas.
“So let’s put a plan together and test it,” he said.
“I had some ideas in the simulator that I wanted to try. The team had other ideas, so we put them all together, went to the simulator, tested the car, and that gave us what we thought could be a good starting point for the weekend to give it a shot.”
From Friday’s practice session, the progress was obvious. Sainz said that the new experiment not only gave them a good qualifying performance but also helped them learn more about the FW47.
“And it was working well right away this weekend, which has given us a good sense of what’s going on, good learning, and confidence. The team needs to do these kinds of tests and see them work.”
GEORGE RUSSELL ADMITS ANTONELLI IS "EXCEPTIONALLY QUICK" BUT REFUSES TO CONCEDE TITLE
Kimi Antonelli secured his 3rd straight F1 win in Miami, leaving George Russell 43 seconds behind and 20 points down in the title race. (130 chars)
George Russell isn’t flinching. He’s not ready to let go of the story, even as Kimi Antonelli keeps grabbing headlines. Antonelli’s been tearing it up this season – three straight wins, all from pole – and it’s got people talking. Miami was rough for Russell; he finished fourth, over 43 seconds behind Antonelli. That gap isn’t just big; it’s glaring, and it’s putting some real heat on their rivalry at Mercedes.
Russell isn’t pretending things are fine, but he’s not throwing in the towel either. He gets what Antonelli’s doing and gives props where they’re deserved. “He’s a fantastic driver, and he’s been fast since day one,” Russell said. “You don’t win all those championships as a kid if you’re not quick.” He means it, but he’s also drawing a boundary. Russell still believes in himself, and he’s not giving up on the championship.
“I’ve still got confidence in myself, and I haven’t forgotten how to drive,” he said with a little smile. “It’s just a tricky patch, but we’re only four races in; there’s a lot more to come. We’ll sort things out over the next few weeks.”
That “tricky patch” doesn’t just mean some tough luck; it includes a 20-point deficit and a teammate who won’t stop rewriting history. Antonelli’s winning streak has changed the vibe at Mercedes, at least for now.
Russell knows all about momentum and how it doesn’t always stick around. “He’s got momentum right now; he’s flying,” Russell admitted. “But I’ve won championships myself, and I know momentum swings back and forth all year.” He actually doesn’t seem bothered by the points gap. “Honestly, I’m not even thinking about it,” he said.
It’s a calm answer from a guy who’s been here before, leaning on experience while Antonelli rides his hot streak. Russell keeps saying 'big picture, patience, not panic'.
“I just want to get back on top of the podium,” he said. “I had the pace for the first three races, but this weekend I was nowhere close. It could have gone very differently these last few weeks, and this weekend could’ve just been a blip. But some races in Japan and China didn’t go my way. That’s how F1 goes sometimes.”
Still, confidence doesn’t erase a 20-point gap, not if Antonelli keeps cruising. If Antonelli keeps piling up wins, Russell’s going to have to fight more than just the stopwatch. Losing to your teammate over and over starts to mess with your head. Russell began the season as the guy to beat, but the longer this keeps up, the tougher it gets to grab hold of the story again.
He’s holding firm, for now. But F1 doesn’t wait for anyone. What does Russell call “just a tricky run”? Well, if momentum doesn’t swing his way soon, it could become a whole lot more than that.
MAX VERSTAPPEN TAKES FRONT ROW IN MIAMI AS RED BULL UPGRADES DELIVER IMMEDIATE RESULTS
Charles Leclerc admitted surprise at Red Bull's pace after Max Verstappen finished P2, just 0.166s behind Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli.
Charles Leclerc expected Red Bull to bounce back, but he couldn’t help admiring Max Verstappen’s raw speed at the Miami Grand Prix.
Red Bull rolled into Miami with a big upgrade, looking to recover after a rough start to the season. Verstappen, a four-time world champ, landed his Red Bull in second during qualifying. He was only 0.166 seconds behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes, nearly snatching pole. After qualifying, Verstappen said he finally feels like he’s back in control of his car.
Leclerc was impressed by the turnaround. “Honestly, it’s not shocking to see Kimi up there. Mercedes has been the quickest team this year, and Kimi’s been amazing these last few races,” Leclerc said. “But Max and Red Bull are coming back like this? That’s a bit more surprising. The upgrades clearly worked, and you can’t forget how strong that team really is. You never expect them to just sit back and accept a slow start.”
He added, “We figured they’d come back swinging, but to see them right back on the front row after struggling at the start… that’s something else. It’s pretty remarkable. Still, my job’s the same: beat those guys. That’s where my head’s at right now.”
Leclerc had to settle for third on the grid for Sunday’s race. Ferrari looked strong early in qualifying, but their hopes faded by Q3.
He talked about the changing conditions, but didn’t think that’s what hurt Ferrari. “The wind definitely played a part, but track temperature wasn’t all that different, so I don’t think that’s the reason,” he said. “Maybe the track changed, and we didn’t see it coming, or maybe pushing harder today in qualifying just made our car’s weak spots stand out more.”
Leclerc admitted he hadn’t dug into the numbers yet; he’d just gotten out of the car. “We’ll have to check the details to figure out exactly where we lost time.”
