Italian GP: Qualifying sees Williams F1 Team still struggle

Alex Albon:
"We knew we would be starting at the back of the grid due to the engine penalty, so the plan today was to play the team game and help get Carlos through to Q2. Deployment and tow are so powerful that staying in the chain matters a lot, so that will be key tomorrow to make up places. Pace was okay, although we’re still off the midfield, but the engine is strong on the straights. The F2 and F3 races had some drama, so hopefully we get a bit of chaos to play into our hands tomorrow. The real focus now is on the race, and hopefully we can fight in the midfield."

Carlos Sainz:
"We tried a few things yesterday and this morning, which got the car into a better place. We did all we could today and maximised the result. A clean lap in Q1 and a good lap in Q2 to be ahead of Ocon - meaning I'll be starting P13 tomorrow. Let's see what we can do tomorrow from there!"

James Vowles, Team Principal:
"The session was executed as well as we could; that was fundamentally where our car is performance-wise. We're lacking performance through the two Lesmos and the Parabolica, and we haven't been able to get the car into a good enough place this weekend.

Thank you to Alex, who played the team game in providing a tow for Carlos. We have engine penalties with him, so irrespective, there was nothing we could do today that would change his ultimate position on the grid tomorrow. Carlos got everything out of the car that we could, and it just illustrates the gap that we need to work on. Well done to Pierre - really quick lap and great to see him taking pole position."