Formula 1 | Williams, Colapinto surprises in qualifying for the GP in Baku

Formula 1 Williams GP Baku – Surprising performance by Franco Colapinto in the qualifying session valid for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the 17th round of the 1 Formula 2024 world championship. Despite the setbacks on Friday, the Argentine Williams driver managed to bring his FW46 into the top ten, obtaining an excellent ninth place, which instills hope and morale in view of the race, scheduled for this afternoon at 14:00 pm. Alexander Albon also did well, 10th, immediately behind his teammate, author of a solid and error-free session. It should be noted that the Thai driver had not lost a direct comparison with a teammate in qualifying since the 2022 Silverstone GP.

Colapinto gets Q3 in Baku

“To get to Q3 in my second qualifying session in F1 is an amazing feeling, both for me and for the team. I didn’t expect to get to Q3, I was just taking it one session at a time, improving steadily. The car has been perfect so far this weekend and I’m getting more and more comfortable with it, learning a new circuit too. I think we maximised almost every attempt today. We had a difficult start yesterday, but we did a great job to turn it around. It was important to rebuild my confidence after the crash in FP1, especially on a street circuit. My mistake in FP1 meant I couldn’t do a long run, which could hurt me tomorrow, but I think we can prepare tonight and see where I can improve. I’m proud of what we’re already achieving together, considering this is just the beginning and there are so many races left. Let’s see what we can do tomorrow.”

Albon optimistic about Williams race

“We have achieved three Q3s in a row, which is positive, and to get both cars into Q3 is a good sign. The car is going well and the upgrade is working. Curiously, I am not entirely happy with the car this weekend, but that is a positive sign, because it means there is still room for improvement and we are still competitive in race pace. As for the fan issue in Q3, these things happen. Nobody did it on purpose and the team will look into what happened, but realistically I would have gained only one, maybe two places if everything had gone perfectly. We can still fight from the top ten tomorrow.”