Carlos Sainz Credits Experiment for Strong Qatar Grand Prix Qualifying Performance

DOHA, Qatar — Carlos Sainz of Williams achieved a remarkable qualifying performance for the Qatar Grand Prix, finishing in seventh place. The result, according to Sainz, was the culmination of a three-month experiment to improve the team’s performance after struggles earlier in the season.

Sainz’s strong showing comes following a disappointing weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix. He described his time at the Losail circuit as a continuation of a “very solid” few days for the team. “If you would have told me before the weekend that I would be P7, I would not have believed it,” Sainz told Sky Sports F1.

His qualifying session included three impressive laps, with a best time of 20.2 seconds in Q2. In Q3, despite a scare involving a piece of plastic potentially damaging his car, he was able to match his best time. “I hit 20.2 in Q2 and felt like that was the limit of the car,” he shared.

Sainz revealed that the decision to experiment with a new setup in Qatar was intentional, as they anticipated difficulties on this challenging circuit. “I’ve been pushing hard since Budapest. We had an off weekend at this kind of track corner, so we wanted to learn and try something new in Qatar,” he explained.

The team collaborated on various simulator ideas to establish a baseline for the weekend. Following their preparation, Sainz expressed confidence in their new approach, stating, “Right from the start, it was working well this weekend, giving us a good understanding and confidence in the car. It’s important for the team to conduct these tests and make them work.”

Despite his strong performance, Williams faced consequences for an unsafe release of Sainz’s car in qualifying, receiving a €5,000 fine from the stewards after he reported issues from plastic on his tires. Nevertheless, Sainz remains optimistic as he heads into the race.