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Qualifying at the Las Vegas Grand Prix brought a unique challenge for the grid, as rain hit the track and forced all 20 drivers to set their times on wet tyres. And one team in particular felt both the highs and lows that come with a wet session in Formula 1, with one driver vaulting himself to the fight at the front, while another met a slippery end to his Qualifying.
The Williams pit wall was surely happy to see Carlos Sainz make easy work of the showers of rain and yellow flags in Q1, getting through the session comfortably. He continued this top-tier performance in Q2, ending the session third from the top of the timing tower, and repeated the result in Q3. With that, Sainz will line up in P3, behind Max Verstappen and pole-sitter Lando Norris.
Sainz credited the work of his team during the post-Qualifying interview, saying, “This track maybe suited our car in the dry, and in the wet FP3, we didn't look very promising, but we did a few changes to the car that I think help on the wet and that allowed me to–from the first lap of Q1, every time I was finishing the lap, I was P1, P1, P1.”
His incredible result was greeted with massive applause and cheers from the Las Vegas crowd. On the support of the public, Sainz said, “I think the US fans love a bit of an underdog fight, and, and I think they see myself with Williams as an underdog.
“But also as a coming project we’re becoming stronger every race, every lap that we do together, and it's great to see people behind us supporting us.”
But while one half of the Williams garage was celebrating, the other is preparing for a night of hard work ahead of them. Unfortunately, despite having good pace, Alex Albon had a snap hit the wall in the final minutes of Q1, damaging his car and bringing his Qualifying to an early end. Albon will line up in P16 on the starting grid, quite a ways away from his teammate up front.
Speaking to F1 TV reporters, Albon described the incident as, “nothing really, just a little bit of a snap in the kind of place you don't want to have a snap. It was sketchy out there, sketchy for everyone, a lot of aquaplaining.”
He further added, “I just got caught out. So, nothing really to say. I think my lap was going to be good. I've been quick all weekend, and that's just how it is sometimes.”
Williams will have drivers starting from opposite ends of the grid tomorrow, but will nonetheless look to capitalize on the weekend, as they have shown good pace so far. What’s more, the Las Vegas Strip Circuit is one where overtakes are likely to happen, giving Albon a chance to fight for points despite beginning the race on the back foot.
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