REPORT: A tough day in Spain

Williams Racing will start the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix from P19 and P20 after struggling for pace in Barcelona.

A promising FP3 session saw Alex finish P8, but that form could not be repeated later into the afternoon, as cloud coverage increased and track temperatures fell.

Attention will now turn to Sunday’s race, where all focus will be on fighting up the field.

"We knew that FP3 wouldn't be representative, although we finish Qualifying a bit disappointed," Alex shared after securing a P19 grid spot.

"The long corners at this track haven't suited us for the past few years, but the car felt good today and we've made a huge step compared to last year.

"There was maybe a corner or two where I could’ve squeezed more out of the car, but it felt good overall, and I think highlights how strong the midfield is at this stage of the season.

"It's very close out there so we’ll see what opportunities come our way tomorrow."

Logan continued our post-Quali reaction by saying: "Unfortunately, the cars weren’t the same spec in the end.

"The floors that we’ve brought are underperforming which is a shame. We’ve been working hard all weekend by trying to change things to get the floors to work as they should.

"It was slightly better in Qualifying than it was in FP3. We need to understand the problem and get it fixed for the future.

"It’s not great for me or the team and none of us want to be in this position. We’ll keep fighting no matter the situation."

Sven Smeets concluded our Saturday round-up by commenting: "We knew it was going to be very tight in the midfield and that we had to be on top of our game from the start.

"Unfortunately, today’s performance was not good enough to get us into Q2.

"The positive of today is that the drivers like the balance of the FW46 more than last year’s car which confirms that we have made a good improvement from the FW45.

"Tomorrow there is a chance of rain before and towards the end of the race. It will be much cooler, which may create some opportunities."