Italian GP: Positive qualifying for Williams Racing
By Williams Racing
September 1 2024
Qualifying for the 2024 Italian GP would see the Williams Racing Team complete the session with Alex Albon finishing in 9th and team-mate Franco Colapinto 18th. For Alex he was pleased with the continued pace in the FW46. For Franco he was to suffer the misfortune of making a mistake that saw him run wide and put his left rear wheel into the gravel. This was enough to see him not make it past Q1. For Franco it was a disappointment as he was confident that he could have progressed into Q2. But overall it was still a positive day for the team as they prepare for Sunday's race.
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Williams Racing
Italian Grand Prix Qualifying |
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Franco Colapinto:
"It was special to do my first Qualifying session in F1. I’ve
enjoyed every moment of the weekend so far. Unfortunately, I made a
little mistake on my second push which cost me the chance to do a good
second lap. It was looking promising as I was in a good place after my
first lap and, of course, working towards making a step on the second
push. The car was very competitive, and I think it was possible to go
through to Q2 today. However, this is just the start and there are
things I still need to work on with only having a few laps in an F1 car.
I’m a bit frustrated right now but I know there is a lot of potential,
and the team has been working hard to make the car suit me a bit better.
Tomorrow will provide a great opportunity to learn more about the car
and tyres as well as managing a full race distance in F1. Let’s see how
it goes." |
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Alex Albon:
"P9 is great, so I’m very happy. We were the best of the rest so
far this weekend and that’s where we hoped to be, but I don’t think we
truly believed we’d be here, so it’s good. When the car continues to
deliver in the practice sessions, it does add a bit of extra pressure to
make sure we deliver in Qualifying, but it all paid off. It’s a very
different track to Zandvoort and as good as the upgrades have been, we
know this track does suit our car, but we also know that if we didn’t
have the upgrade, we wouldn’t be in Q3, so that’s a nice takeaway. We
were fighting the Haas throughout Qualifying and they seem to have
slightly stronger race pace for tomorrow. Graining will be our biggest
concern, but let’s see how we go." |
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Sven Smeets Sporting Director:
"Overall, a very positive day today as we confirmed the car’s
performance of last week in Zandvoort. In Q1, both drivers were happy
with their car and Alex moved swiftly into Q2. Unfortunately, Franco
made a small mistake in his second push lap which cost him dearly as up
till then he was on the pace to pass into Q2. It became clear it was
going to be tight to get into Q3, but a great lap secured Alex a place
into the top 10. In Q3, Alex claimed P9 which was the highest position
achievable today, but he and the team can look back on a great
Qualifying session. Tomorrow it will be all about tyre management as it
will be very hot again with track temps above 50 degrees, but we are
confident we have a good race car and will be able to fight for points." |
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Track: Autodromo Nazionale Monza,
Italy |
Lap Length: 5.793 km |
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Pos |
Driver |
Team |
Q1 |
Q2 |
Q3 |
|
9 |
A Albon |
Williams Racing |
1:20.542 |
1:20.314 |
1:20.299 |
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18 |
F Colapinto |
Williams Racing |
1:21.061 |
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