Carlos Sainz will miss qualifying in Melbourne after a technical problem

The first qualifying session of the 2026 season Formula 1 The Australian Grand Prix ended abruptly for Carlos Sainz. The pilot of Williams He was unable to participate in the session after another technical problem arose earlier in the day. At the wheel of the FW48, the Spaniard had already seen his weekend severely disrupted. After finishing twelfth in the first free practice session, his program was interrupted in FP2, with the team preferring to recall the car to the pits to examine a mechanical issue. The situation worsened on Saturday morning during the final free practice session at the Albert Park circuit (Melbourne). On his very first flying lap, the Williams driver suffered a loss of power that forced him to stop his car. car at the entrance to the pit lane, causing a virtual neutralization of the session.

Despite the team's efforts to repair the car before qualifying, Williams was unable to resolve the fault quickly enough to allow its driver to take to the track. "We had a problem with the ERS package and we were unable to resolve it in time for qualifying."explains Carlos Sainz. "No laps in FP2, no laps in FP3, no laps in Q1, so it's been a very disappointing first weekend with these new regulations."

The Spaniard also highlighted the lack of track time accumulated since the start of the weekend, a significant handicap at the beginning of the season at the Australian Grand Prix. "No long runs in FP2, no soft tire runs in FP2, no laps in FP3, no Q1. Even for China next week, not being able to accumulate mileage this weekend and not being able to contest qualifying for the first time is not an ideal way to start the year."

A difficult weekend for Williams

This setback has left Alexander albon as the sole Williams representative in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix. The Thai driver managed to get through Q1 before being eliminated in Q2, ultimately finishing fifteenth on the grid. "We maximized what we could after a weekend marked by several reliability issues.", he explains. "We were limited in some practice sessions, so reaching Q2 is a decent result."

Team principal James Vowles acknowledges that the team is going through a difficult start to the season. “We didn’t have a clean weekend at all, with only one car in qualifying after several power unit reliability issues. We know we’re struggling and that our winter has been complicated, but we have a clear understanding of what we need to improve, and quickly.”

Carlos Sainz will therefore start from the back of the grid in twenty-first place for the race, alone Lance stroll will position themselves behind him, with a primary focus on learning and data collection. In a weekend where the lack of track time has already taken its toll, simply finishing the first Grand Prix of the 2026 Formula 1 season could be a significant step for Williams before the next round of the championship.

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