Latest news with #WilliamsRacingFormulaOne
Newsweek
a day ago
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Williams Launches Investigation Following Double DNF in Austrian GP
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Williams Racing Formula One team faced a huge setback in Austria after both cars were called back into the garage, ending the race for Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon. The first incident took place with Sainz in the formation lap, when he struggled to get the car into gear in P19, bringing out the yellow flags. However, he eventually managed to get the car going and returned to the pit lane, only to find his rear brakes on fire. The Williams crew was quick to put the fire out, but unfortunately, the incident ensured it was a DNS for Sainz at the Red Bull Ring. Things looked good for Albon, on the other hand, who capitalized on the crash between Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen on Turn 3 of the opening lap. William's Spanish driver Carlos Sainz is seen in the pits during the Formula One Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring race track in Spielberg, Austria, on June 29, 2025. William's Spanish driver Carlos Sainz is seen in the pits during the Formula One Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring race track in Spielberg, Austria, on June 29, 2025. Joe Klamar / AFP/Getty Images The contact between the two cars helped Albon cover several positions from P12 to P7, but an issue, similar to the one seen in Canada, prompted Williams to radio him back to the garage, ending his race. The Grove outfit revealed on X that it will need to investigate the issue with Albon's car before the British Grand Prix next weekend. It stated: "A tough one to take in Austria with both cars retiring. Carlos had a rear brake issue and Alex had an issue that we need to investigate, forcing us to bring him back to the pits from a good points-scoring position. "We will pick ourselves back up and look ahead to Silverstone next week." A tough one to take in Austria with both cars retiring. Carlos had a rear brake issue and Alex had an issue that we need to investigate, forcing us to bring him back to the pits from a good points-scoring position. We will pick ourselves back up and look ahead to Silverstone… — Atlassian Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) June 29, 2025 Albon revealed his frustration in a statement, given that this was his third consecutive DNF. He said: "A very frustrating and disappointing day. "We had a great start; we were a bit fortunate as the waves parted for us, but we were in the right place at the right time, had a good car, executed a nice overtake on Pierre [Gasly] and were pulling away from the cars behind. "Then we ran into this issue which looks similar to the one in Canada, but we need to review it. We've had three DNFs in a row and it's the same car as it was at the beginning of the year, so we need to investigate why it was more reliable then. "It's possibly the temperatures that we're running at, but it is in the races that we are suffering. We can't afford for it to happen at Silverstone as that's a good track for us and we've missed out on points today, so we need to deep dive and find a solution." Sainz added: "Too many issues yesterday, too many issues today. This weekend I couldn't show the true pace that I know we had and that leaves me frustrated. However, it's time to stay focused and work even harder as a team to learn from this tricky period and bounce back. "I'm fully confident that if we manage to execute clean weekends, better results will come soon. Up next is our home race at Silverstone, so let's keep pushing to make the most out of it!"
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Carlos Sainz Disappointed With Williams After Q1 Exit
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Williams Racing Formula One driver Carlos Sainz has shared his disappointment after retiring in Q1 of the Austrian Grand Prix qualifying session. The Spaniard reported damage to his car, and as a result, he will start the race on Sunday from the 19th position. Sainz said on the team radio that his FW47 F1 car was "undriveable" and later confirmed that the car's floor had been damaged. Explaining the setback to the media after qualifying, the Williams driver said: "Yeah, we must have picked up damage on the floor, which they just confirmed to me that we did. I don't know exactly where, because it's not like I went off the track, but something must have fallen off, and we lost a lot of downforce. But on top of that, we had a brake issue from the beginning of qualy, with pulling massively and the braking to one side. With the three big braking zones here, I was always going to struggle with that." Carlos Sainz Jr of Spain and Williams speaks of disappointment in the media pen during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on June 28, 2025 in Spielberg,... Carlos Sainz Jr of Spain and Williams speaks of disappointment in the media pen during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on June 28, 2025 in Spielberg, Austria. MoreWhile Q3 would have been a challenging feat to achieve, Sainz confirmed that the car's pace was enough to make it to Q2. He added: "Given where Alex was and we'd been on par all weekend, I think Q2 was definitely possible. Q3 was more of an ask, given our soft tyre struggles. But Q2 should have been easy, top end of Q2. Since yesterday, we've seen we have the race pace of the midfield, but for some reason, in our soft tyres, we always struggle." Sainz was asked if he felt something was wrong with the car when he set off. He said: "Yeah, with the brakes, yes. With the floor, it was not clear at the beginning, but then the last couple of laps, there was for sure something, as you could see on the onboard." The 30-year-old driver confirmed that the brakes were swapped after the third practice session, but complained about a pulling problem while on track in qualifying. He explained: "We changed the brakes from FP3 to qualy, like we always do, and we put what we think is a new set, but something must have not been correct, given the amount of pulling that I had to one side every time I hit the brakes. So, yes, we need to investigate what. The floor, I think, must have happened during qualy at some point. Must have something fallen off or dropped something." Sainz is unsure about the gravity of the problem and whether he will have to start the race from the pit lane if Williams works on the car in parc ferme. He said: "We'll see. I am not here to test. I am not here to be P19 for sure, so we need to start investigating what's going on. But at the same time, you know, this, how do you say, this bad run of races is happening, and we need as a team to push together and see what we can do better as a whole. "Especially when it comes to qualifying and the soft tyre, because honestly, my race pace is good. Every time I'm driving under normal circumstances, I'm quick. But yeah, just putting things together."
