Carlos Sainz Shakes Up Monza Practice, Williams Threatens Top Teams

Why it matters

Carlos Sainz delivered a surprise performance in Friday's practice sessions at Monza, consistently placing his Williams FW47 among the top three. This strong showing indicates Williams could be a genuine threat to leading teams like McLaren, Ferrari, and even Max Verstappen's Red Bull over the Italian Grand Prix weekend, potentially aiming for their first win since 2012.

The details

• Sainz secured P3 in both Free Practice 1 and Free Practice 2.
• In FP1, he was nearly six-tenths off the pace, but significantly closed the gap in FP2, finishing just 0.096 seconds behind session leader Lando Norris.
• The Williams FW47 displayed exceptional speed, particularly on Monza's low-downforce configuration, proving highly effective on the long straights.

What Sainz said

• Sainz expressed satisfaction with the team's performance, noting, "Today has been a positive day and we seem to have good pace."
• He also identified areas for improvement: "There are still a few areas which I'd like to finetune, so I can feel a bit more comfortable throughout a few of the corners."
• The Spaniard, who secured pole at Monza with Ferrari in 2023, is confident in the car's pace over both short and long runs and plans further setup work.

What's next

With its impressive straight-line speed, the Williams FW47, especially with Sainz at the wheel, could challenge for pole position and even a race win. This could mark Williams' first victory since Pastor Maldonado's triumph at Barcelona in 2012, setting up an exciting conclusion to the Monza weekend.