Saturday at the Baku City Circuit saw a new Formula 1 record, as six red flags flew during the qualifying hour in a frenetic session. When the dust settled, a surprising trio finished up front, as Max Verstappen took pole position ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr. and Liam Lawson.
That performance has Sainz in striking distance of his first podium with his new team, Williams.
After the qualifying hour, Sainz outlined how Williams “nailed” the session.
“Honestly, we nailed the qualifying today,” said Sainz trackside to Jamie Chadwick. “Every time being on the right tyre at the right time and putting together some very strong laps. Obviously, the moment that a top car was going to put that lap together, we were always going to be those four or five tenths behind like we always are, but it was only one of them, which was Max — not surprised. And for the rest, we managed to beat them. And, yeah, we were in P2, which is great news.”
For a moment, Sainz and Williams were dreaming of pole position, as the Spanish driver was on provisional pole after early runs in Q3. With under four minutes left in the final segment of qualifying — and some rain in the air — there was a moment where it looked like Sainz might actually put his FW47 into P1.
Ultimately, he had to settle for a front-row start alongside Verstappen.
“I mean, we know that if a McLaren or a Red Bull puts a lap together, that’s three to five tenths on average. And also if the track conditions were good enough — which was the big unknown — I knew my lap was not going to be good enough,” noted Sainz. “I think our simulation said at the time maybe only Max and Lando could beat us. So I was thinking about a P3. In the end, it was only Max… It had to be Max! But, in general, I thought as soon as I started my lap at the end, I was actually coming very quick. I was like three or four tenths up on my lap. And in one way, I was thinking, great, because this might even confirm or achieve pole, but then I was thinking the leaders are going to be even quicker, no? And that’s exactly what happened.”
As for what to expect tomorrow, Sainz believes his first podium could be on offer in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
”It hasn’t been the smoothest weekend for me. I’ve been struggling with the feeling on the brakes. With this car, we are having some brake issues in some demanding tracks like Canada and here. But today in quali, I felt good. And most importantly, we kept the car consistent through the weekend, and I think that allowed me to… Whenever there was a chance to put a lap together — which there were not many, I think I did in total three or four laps today in quali given the red flags — the lap was good.
“So, tomorrow from P2, we’ll try and keep it consistent, see the pace of the car versus every one of the leaders that will try and come through,” added Sainz. “But if you look at our long runs yesterday, we were actually pretty quick. So I’m hopeful that we can go for it tomorrow.”
