Sainz edges Albon in qualifying as Williams' miserable 2026 continues

Sainz edges Albon as Williams endure miserable campaign

Of the two Williams drivers, in a team that is struggling, Carlos Sainz has had the better season. But it's not as stark as it perhaps appears just looking on the surface. Sainz leads Alex Albon by two points in the championship, and while the qualifying comparison is skewed heavily towards Sainz on a head-to-head basis at 13-5, the time gap between them is just 0.115 seconds.

As if Albon was not already having a rough season, to top it he incurred the wrath of Fernando Alonso in Austin after the two collided on the first lap, leaving both with damaged cars. Alonso said: "The quality of the drivers in the lower third of the grid is very low, as we saw today with Alex."

Williams are in such a state this year that comparing the drivers should be treated with a degree of qualification. The car has been slow, and the team have struggled with consistency between parts, as well as quality and degradation.