Without a point in Bahrain, Williams must get back on track

In a very tight mid-table, zero-point weekends can be costly at the end of the season. Haas had paid the price by missing the Australian Grand Prix, where the VF-25 displayed a level far from the nine other single-seaters, then Williams experienced a similar drought in Bahrain last weekend, when none of its drivers finished in the points.

The hottest Grand Prix so far this year put Grove's FW45 into overdrive, and it failed to recapture the performance it displayed at the start of the season. It was usually brilliant, thanks in part to Alex Albon (18 of his team's 19 points), the car The British car had more difficulty in Bahrain, on the track where it had nevertheless achieved the best time in pre-season testing at the end of February.

Carlos Sainz was then the fastest, and the Madrilenian confirmed his ease on the Sakhir circuit by making a good start to the weekend. Qualifying in Q3, he did much better (8th) than his teammate (15th), who did not reach the top 10 in qualifying for the first time this year. Unfortunately, Carlos Sainz's hope of scoring his first points in a fair manner (his 10th place in China was awarded to him after three disqualifications in front of him, several hours after the finish, Editor's note) was quickly dashed.

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Sainz finds his mojo again in Bahrain

 The old pilot Ferrari, fighting for the last places in the top 10, had to retire after contact with Yuki tsunoda at the first turn. The Red Bull The Japanese plane hit the Williams' pontoon, leaving a gaping hole in it, making performance impossible. "Despite the final result, there are many positives to take away, tried to justify Sainz after the race. We had a good pace all weekend and could have been in the points. So we'll take things as they are and see how we can come back stronger next week in Saudi Arabia."

"We were unlucky today, Alex Albon, 12th, was furious. The points were at stake, our race pace was really strong and we had a really good first and second stint. We then got a bit unlucky with the safety car and had to double-stop, so we lost a few places. Overall I'm still happy, we learned a lot of lessons that we can apply to the rest of the year."

Despite the relative satisfaction the drivers are trying to convey, the situation isn't ideal for Williams. The British team has established itself as the "best of the rest" since the start of the season, placing itself fairly clearly as the fifth force in the field behind the four giants. But the only truth that matters is that of the numbers, and the team led by James Vowles is paying the price for Carlos Sainz's slow start compared to Haas, whose two drivers regularly score points.

The Americans once again saw their two drivers enter the points in Bahrain, with Esteban Ocon eighth and Oliver Bearman tenth. Thanks to the five points gained in Bahrain, Haas has stolen fifth place in the championship from Williams, who are looking to quickly reclaim their rightful place.

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Williams: Jeddah to bounce back

“Although the weekend in Bahrain was disappointing for the team, we came away with a lot of learnings and a really solid race pace, assures Alex Albon. We'll try to apply these learnings as we head to Saudi Arabia. Jeddah is one of the fastest street circuits on the calendar, so the margin for error is very slim. This year, the gaps are so tight that qualifying and the race have to be near-perfect to score points. We have to give it our all to be able to fight in the pack."

Carlos Sainz will be making his return to a circuit where he did not race last year. The Spaniard, then a Ferrari driver, suffered an appendicitis attack that forced him to withdraw from qualifying and the Grand Prix. He was replaced by the Scuderia's reserve driver, a certain Oliver Bearman, then competing in Formula 2 with Prema. The Briton made a strong impression, qualifying 11th, a few thousandths of a second off Q3, then finishing 7th.

From now on, Carlos Sainz and his replacement for the day will be opponents on the ultra-fast Jeddah Corniche circuit, where mistakes are not tolerated. “Although it’s never nice to give up, we showed good pace throughout the weekend in Bahrain, so we’ll try to continue that momentum in Saudi Arabia, promises the Madrilenian. It's a fast track that requires a steady build-up of power during practice sessions, and you need total confidence in the car for qualifying. I haven't really driven at this circuit for two years, having missed it last year, so I'm looking forward to getting back to this fun layout and seeing what learnings from the last two weeks we can apply to maximize our weekend."

Last year, Williams scored no points, with Alex Albon finishing eleventh behind… the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg, who had stolen the point for tenth position.