Australian GP: Fantastic qualifying for Williams Racing

Alex Albon:
"We were aiming for top ten, so P6 is fantastic and I’m very happy. We have a great car, easy to drive, predictable; it feels like a much more driveable car this year. It’s really tight out there and it’s going to be a dogfight in the midfield this year, but this is a great place for us to start. It also feels like Qualifying is not even the best bit of the car; where we’ve made the biggest improvement is the race pace. We’ve done some big things back at Grove. We have paid attention to this year, we are starting on the right weight and we are in a much healthier place than we were this time last year. When I look at where we were a year ago up to now, we’re in a completely different position. I’m very proud of the team today and there are good vibes. We’re expecting rain tomorrow and nobody has done a lap on the Intermediate or Wet tyre so let’s see what happens."

Carlos Sainz:
"First of all, I’m very happy for the entire team, for Alex and for myself. It’s my first Qualifying with Williams and we have achieved our main objective of getting into Q3 with both cars. The hard work that everyone has done during the winter has paid off with a great step forward and I’m proud of the team. On my side, I had a bit of a scrappy Qualifying to be honest. However, I’m not concerned. There are many things that I still need to understand from this car and I’m sure better laps will come soon! Tomorrow, under rain, I will also have to adapt quickly but I’m excited about the race. We will try to maximise every opportunity. This is only the beginning! "

James Vowles Team Principal:
"What a fantastic day for the team. I’m really pleased for Alex, he put in a really great lap out there and delivered when it mattered. I’m disappointed for Carlos – we know there is more in it but ultimately, we weren’t clean on execution. The great news is it’s a good place to start, the weather coming in tomorrow will provide plenty of opportunity and the team has renewed energy."