Sainz rues ‘very tricky’ Qualifying that left him in the ‘middle of nowhere’ at his home GP in Spain

Carlos Sainz endured a disastrous home Grand Prix qualifying session, exiting in Q1 from P18 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, a stark contrast to his consistent points-scoring record at the track. The Williams driver, who has never failed to score points in Spain, attributed his early exit to a "very tricky Qualifying" session plagued by unusual traffic and dirty air. A key incident involved Franco Colapinto’s car getting stuck at the pit lane exit, forcing Sainz to navigate through multiple cars on his flying lap, significantly compromising his performance. Despite believing he had the pace for Q3, the tight field meant a mere 1.5 tenths separated him from P7, highlighting the fine margins in F1. Sainz remains determined to fight back into the points in Sunday's race, acknowledging the challenge of starting from P18 but vowing to do "everything possible." His teammate Alex Albon also struggled with dirty air, narrowly missing Q3, indicating a tough weekend for Williams despite their recent resurgence.