Carlos Sainz admits he nonetheless doesn’t really feel at dwelling within the cockpit of his Williams Formulation 1 automobile after a disappointing exhibiting in Chinese language Grand Prix dash qualifying.
The Spaniard joined Williams from Ferrari over the winter and set the tempo in pre-season testing earlier than crashing behind the protection automobile through the Australian Grand Prix final weekend.
Sainz, with 4 grand prix victories to his identify, may solely handle thirteenth place on the grid for Saturday’s dash race in Shanghai – in distinction to team-mate Alex Albon, who progressed into the highest 10 – and conceded he’s nonetheless studying his new environment.
Learn Additionally:
“I’ve struggled all day with the steadiness, and each periods have been fairly robust,” Sainz stated.
“In dash quali we had a number of points, together with a bizarre feeling with the seat that we’ll look into, however total it comes right down to me nonetheless not feeling at dwelling within the automobile.
“We have been fighting some steadiness issues and particularly coming right down to Q2, not understanding precisely the place to seek out the lap time and a little bit of overdriving.
Carlos Sainz, Williams
Picture by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Photographs
“I nonetheless should study and perceive many issues about it and I do know, with extra mileage, it should come. Hopefully tomorrow we will put all the pieces collectively and enhance right this moment’s outcome for Sunday.
“It has been a troublesome weekend up till now, we’re looking for the steadiness of the automobile, it feels fairly completely different right here with the wind and, as I stated, I’m struggling to seek out lap time in terms of qualifying.”
Albon believes tyre degradation may play a pivotal position through the dash race on condition that many groups appear to be fighting temperatures.
“Tyres should not that straightforward to know what to do with them. I feel the tyres have been – we have seen it this 12 months to date – very delicate, and lengthy corners like they’re in China are likely to make the tyres work a bit more durable,” he stated.
“It is exhausting to get them into a superb place so we’ll do some work in a single day and try to get again stronger tomorrow.
“I feel graining goes to be an enormous speaking level, the entrance particularly, which is what’s been exhausting in low gasoline as properly however in excessive gasoline it will get uncontrolled.
“So I feel it should be a really managed race, sadly it’d look a bit boring within the first few laps and then you definately’ll see a little bit of a race in the direction of the top.”
On this article
Mark Mann-Bryans
Formulation 1
Carlos Sainz
Williams
Be the primary to know and subscribe for real-time information e-mail updates on these matters
Subscribe to information alerts