Bahrain GP: Mixed qualifying for Atlassian Williams F1 Team

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."