By tirelessly climbing the rankings, through Alex's good results Albon especially, Williams found itself quite clearly detached in fifth place in the Constructors' standings. The British widened the gap on Haas, who are 26 points behind. However, Grove's men are coming off a particularly difficult weekend in Barcelona. On a track where James Vowles' troops expected to suffer, the result was in fact significantly less brilliant than in previous weeks.
From Saturday, Carlos Sainz suffered a huge disappointment at home, posting only the 18th fastest time in qualifying: his elimination in Q1 was the worst result of his season. Alex Albon did better (11th), but not enough to reach Q3 for the eighth time in ten races.
Forced to retire the next day after two front wing failures, the Thai driver hopes to bounce back in Canada, on a track where he made a magnificent double overtake last year in the rain, before retiring following a collision with... Carlos Sainz, his new teammate.
ALSO READ > The full schedule for the 2025 F1 Canadian Grand Prix
Carlos Sainz drove in Madrid between Barcelona and Montreal
“Canada is a race that offers a lot of opportunities, and I have good memories of my overtaking here last year, notes Alex Albon. The weather can be changeable, but we've performed well in all conditions so far this year, so we'll try to take advantage of it. We didn't finish the three-race series the way we would have liked, so we're determined to come back stronger in Montreal."
Carlos Sainz took advantage of a few days off to support the future Madrid circuit, where the Spanish Grand Prix will be hosted from next season. The Madrid native is the ambassador of the Madring and paraded there with the 45 Williams FW2023: a way to recharge the batteries before the Canadian GP, an event whose finish he did not see last year with Ferrari, after having already been taken out in Q2.
“Even though the last few weeks have been busy, with the completion of the triple header in Barcelona followed by the roadshow in Madrid last Saturday, I feel recharged and excited to head to Canada, hoping for a positive weekend there!” enthuses Carlos Sainz. Canada is always a fun circuit to drive, with plenty of overtaking opportunities, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what we can do with the FW47 there! The weather always plays a major role in Montreal, with conditions often unpredictable, so we'll be taking every opportunity we can and pushing hard all weekend."
For Williams, Canada meant a double retirement, while Alex Albon finished 7th in 2023. A better inspiration than the chaotic 2024 edition.
Yves-Henri RANDIER
12/06/2025 at 11:14 a.m.
Missed weekend in Barcelona because he already saw himself on the MadRing!!!