Bahrain GP: Mixed qualifying for Atlassian Williams F1 Team
By Williams F1 Team
October 3 2026
Qualifying for the 2026 Bahrain GP at the Sepang circuit would see the Atlassian Williams F1 Team come away with a very mixed set of results. After several practice sessions that saw both Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon well down the times qualifying was not looking very promising but in an encouraging result Carlos would make it into Q2 and was able to finish 13th. For Alex his session was very different with Alex only managing 20th and failed to get out of Q1. So a very mixed session for the team and drivers but from the perspective of Carlos a good session where he was able to get a good result from the FW48 given his limitations.
| |
|
Atlassian Williams F1 Team
Bahrain GP Qualifying Review |
| |
 |
| |
|
Alex Albon:
"That was a tough qualifying and not the result we wanted. We made some
changes to the car for the session and they didn't give us the
performance we were hoping for, so we'll look at the data tonight and
work out what we can take from it. We knew this was going to be a
challenging track, and tomorrow is a learning day for us. We'll look at
strategy and see what options we have. With the way tyre degradation is
likely to play out, hopefully it's an eventful race, and we'll be able
to make the most of whatever comes our way." |
| |
|
Carlos Sainz:
"It was a good qualifying today, doing some of the best laps I’ve done
this season, given the limitations of our car. I was able to find a
baseline that worked well, allowing me to be precise and consistent out
there, and improving every lap. We’ve done a good job today although
tomorrow will be tough given our lack of downforce, making it difficult
to take care of the tyres. We’ll do our best to take any opportunities
that come our way." |
| |
 |
James Vowles, Team Principal:
"It was a well-executed qualifying for Carlos and great to see him
knocking on the door of Q3, but not quite there at what, for us, is a
track that we know does not suit the car. It’s another indication that
we have moved forward, but not enough to the level we need to be to
fight for points.
On the other hand, it’s been a difficult
weekend for Alex. He was offset in FP3, so we tried a slightly different
direction in qualifying, which I’m not sure whether it helped or not at
this stage. The good news tomorrow is it looks like weather may come
into play, so we need to be as prepared as possible and take advantage
of any circumstance that comes our way."
|
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
|
Sepang International Circuit,
Malaysia |
Lap Length: 5.543km |
|
|
|
Pos |
Driver |
Team |
Q1 |
Q2 |
Q3 |
|
|
| 13 |
C Sainz |
Williams Racing |
1:37.651 |
1:37.527 |
- |
|
20 |
A Albon |
Williams Racing |
1:38.600 |
- |
- |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Bookmark or share this story with: