Albon back in the points at Silverstone, Sainz sinks into the frustration of a black season

The atmosphere was mixed in the Williams garage after the race: Alex Albon returned to the points with a fine 8th place, ending a series of three retirements, while Carlos Sainz finished outside the top 10, expressing growing frustration over his repeated bad luck.

Read also: Carlos Sainz out of the points at Silverstone after contact with Charles Leclerc

A return to the points for Albon

Starting 13th on the grid in changing weather conditions, Alex Albon found himself in 3rd position for a time thanks to an alternate strategy — he was one of the last to switch to intermediate tires when the rain intensified.

After dropping in the rankings following his stop, the Thai driver demonstrated a good pace on slick tires at the end of the race. He ultimately crossed the line in 8th position, ending a series of three races without reaching the finish.

« It was really fun, actually », said Alex Albon after the race at Silverstone. « There were moments where it seemed like it was going badly, we were out of the points at times. »

« And in a somewhat strange way, Carlos and I were often together on the track, which complicated matters because pit stops always fell on the same laps. Carlos was in front of me most of the time, so we ended up staggering our stops by one lap and losing positions. »

But with the last set of slick tires, the car transformed, it was really fast. We overtook Fernando [Alonso] in the last lap, it was nice, we fought well. A P8 after several retirements, I’m very happy, he explains.

Asked about the effect of this home result for the team before the next Grand Prix in Belgium, Alex Albon replied: « Yes, I think it’s a real boost. We needed it. The momentum and the general dynamic were not in our favor. It feels good to finish a race, to regain motivation and good energy for the future. »

Carlos Sainz is not managing.

On the other hand, the day was much more complicated for his teammate Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard, starting from 9th, was having a solid race until a contact with Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari in turn 15, which caused him to drop in the rankings. He ultimately finished 12th.

« I was having a good race, very solid, avoiding problems, in survival mode. When we switched to slicks, I was 8th and fighting for 7th place. Charles lost control at turn 15, he hit me, and everything went wrong from there with damage », he explains.

« It’s a bit like the story of my season: every time we are well-positioned to score big points, something out of my control happens. It’s frustrating; I’m starting to get tired of this season. Every time we have a good opportunity, a new incident comes along to ruin everything. »

With a short break before the Belgian Grand Prix, from July 25 to 27 at Spa-Francorchamps, Carlos Sainz hopes this respite will help turn the tide.

“I drive well, I do everything I can,” he confided. “But when so many things are out of your control, you feel the need to take a break, to hope that this bad streak will end, and that we’ll start a cleaner second half of the season.”

« I have never experienced such a series of incidents over five, six, seven, eight races in a row. It’s really frustrating, he concluded ».