Carlos Sainz expressed his delight with a second-place grid start for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, despite narrowly missing out on pole position. The Spaniard was edged out by Max Verstappen in the final moments of a thrilling Qualifying session. Sainz had earlier posted a strong lap time that placed him on provisional pole, just before a red flag was waved due to a crash by Charles Leclerc at Turn 15.
As the session progressed, another stoppage occurred when Oscar Piastri, the Drivers' Championship leader, found himself in the wall. With a tense one-lap shootout ahead, the track conditions were less than ideal due to light rain, which could have allowed Sainz to secure Williams' first pole position in over a decade. However, Verstappen managed to surpass him at the top of the leaderboard just before the session concluded.
Post-session, Sainz shared his thoughts, stating, "Very happy, honestly. We’ve nailed Qualifying today." He emphasized how the team effectively utilized the right tires at the right times, leading to several strong lap times. "Obviously, the moment that a top car put a lap together, we were always going to be those four or five tenths behind like we always are. It was only one of them which was Max – not surprised. For the rest, we managed to beat them, and we are P2, which is great news," Sainz added.
Despite having a challenging season since his switch to Williams from Ferrari, Sainz noted his improved performance in qualifying. "I’ve been putting good laps together this year in Qualifying – it hasn’t been my weakness or my issues at all," he remarked. He acknowledged the speed of the car and team, stating, "Today, we proved that the speed of this car and this team is there and delivering in Qualifying when it counts." Sainz remains optimistic about the season ahead, stating, "Unfortunately, the year in terms of races and points is not going the way we want, but as long as the speed is there, which today proves, the points and the good races will come. I’m not worried."
Meanwhile, Sainz's teammate, Alex Albon, faced a setback as he will start the Sunday race from the back of the grid. Albon crashed out in Q1 after hitting the inside wall at Turn 1, which resulted in a suspension failure for his Williams car. Reflecting on the incident, Albon admitted, "My mistake obviously, bit of a rookie mistake. Just got caught out with the difference of grip between my first lap and what was going to be my second lap. Nothing to say really, just a bit disappointing." He acknowledged the difficulties ahead, stating, "Didn't need that, we've got our work cut out in the race. It's not that easy to make progress around this track, so we'll have to hang tight and see what we can do."
As the 51-lap race approaches, Sainz has set his sights on achieving a podium finish. "Try and stick it on the podium," he said when asked about his aspirations for the race. "I’m going to give it my best to give Williams their first podium with me. If it’s possible, great, and if not, we will see." With the stage set for an exciting race, fans will be eager to see if Sainz can convert his strong qualifying performance into a successful result on race day.
