Carlos Sainz once again lost out to Alex Albon in Sprint qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix on Friday. Albon has now prevailed in the first three meaningful sessions of 2025.
Albon was one of the biggest surprise packages in Australia, qualifying sixth. Williams got two cars in the top 10 for the first time in 20 years (at Albert Park) but Sainz started four places below his teammate.
In the race, Sainz was caught out by the FW47’s power delivery behind the safety car, leading to an unusual but race-ending crash. But Albon produced a faultless drive to bring the car home fifth, Williams’ best result since 2021.
And in Shanghai, the 2022 signing was once again ahead of his new teammate. Albon will start the Sprint from ninth, while Sainz could only manage 13th.
The gap between the two drivers in SQ2 was more than seven-tenths. For context, that’s only a tenth smaller than the deficit between Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson at Red Bull.
Carlos Sainz laments Williams seat problem at Chinese Grand Prix
Writing on X, Sainz admitted that he’d ‘struggled’ with the car on the first day of running. The sprint weekend format denied him time to make the necessary adjustments.
He cited a ‘weird feeling’ with the seat that added to his discomfort, having complained over the radio during the session.
“The seat came out of its place,” he said. “Make sure you check the seat please.”
This is a rare issue, and one that must be frightening for a driver. They reach speeds in excess of 200mph down the back straight at the Chinese Grand Prix, but Sainz didn’t feel entirely secure in the cockpit.
The Spaniard didn’t want this to be an excuse, though. He admits his problems are more fundamental at this stage.
“I’ve struggled with the balance today,” he wrote. “In SQ we had some issues, including a weird feeling with the seat, but overall it comes down to me not feeling at home in the car. Hopefully tomorrow we can put it together and improve for Sunday.”
Ralf Schumacher says Carlos Sainz should have been crying after his Williams debut
Karun Chandhok expected Sainz to benefit from his test in Abu Dhabi last year. Ferrari granted their departing driver permission to carry out two days of running in the 2024 Williams after the season had concluded.
But while this certainly didn’t hurt Sainz, it’s already clear that he needs more time before he can show his best form. The positive is that the car is a clear improvement on its predecessor.
Ralf Schumacher said Sainz should have been crying, rather than rookie Isack Hadjar, after his ’embarrassing’ mistake in Australia. He missed out on what could have been a bountiful haul of points.
Sky Sports commentator David Croft rushed to put Sainz in his F1 fantasy team at the start of the season. Perhaps Albon would have been the better pick, for the time being at least.
Leave feedback about this