Racing
© Jonathan Borba
Carlos Sainz sent Williams into SQ3 for the first time in 2026 at Montreal and qualified 10th for the Canadian Grand Prix Sprint, delivering the team’s best result of the season in any qualifying format.
The breakthrough came on a decisive SQ2 lap on medium tires, with Sainz squeezing through by just 0.032 seconds over Nico Hülkenberg. He then set a 1:14.536 in SQ3 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to lock in 10th on the Sprint grid.
For Williams, it was a badly needed step after a difficult start to the year. The team had arrived in Canada still looking for answers and had not previously reached SQ3 in either Sprint qualifying or grand prix qualifying this season.
The result also carried extra weight because Williams had to rely on Sainz alone on Friday. Alex Albon did not take part in Sprint qualifying after hitting a marmot in Free Practice 1, with the damage forcing gearbox and power-unit changes and leaving him no chance to show the FW48’s pace.
Speaking after the session, Carlos Sainz, Williams driver, said: “It was a very good Sprint Qualifying for us. Especially in SQ2, I think I put together a very good lap that allowed me to reach Q3 for the first time this year.”
He said the run into SQ3 felt like a reward for the work being done to pull Williams forward. “I’m very happy. The truth is it has been a very good start to the season for me personally and that SQ3 is a small reward for the efforts the team is making to recover the situation. Let’s see where we are tomorrow and how we can keep improving.”
In Williams’ post-session comments, Sainz said it was the first qualifying session this year in which the team had been in a fight for the top 10, and singled out his SQ2 effort as one of his strongest laps of the season. That gives Williams a rare chance to turn Friday progress into Sprint points on Saturday.