REPORT: Best Sprint Qualifying result of 2024

Williams Racing are firmly in the hunt for points on Saturday after securing our best Sprint Qualifying result of 2024.

Alex Albon reached SQ3 for the first time this season, whilst Franco Colapinto will look to push forward from P14 on the grid.

The day started in the glorious São Paulo sunshine with one hour of Practice to set us up for the weekend, and with an all-new track surface at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace to get to grips with, it was a crucial hour.

Between our duo, we recorded 59 laps around this storied venue, giving us a solid platform to build on ahead of the first competitive session of the weekend.

Alex and Franco both had it all to do on their final SQ1 push laps and they safely progressed through to the second phase, placing in P3 and P9, respectively.

Our pair went early in SQ2 and had just one attempt to make it through to the top 10 shootout. Franco’s 1:10.275 saw him knocked out in P14, whilst Alex made it through in P10 with a 1:09.833.

Albono would again go early in SQ3, and his only push lap of the final phase saw him record a 1:10.078, putting him P9 on the grid for Saturday’s Sprint.

"I’m a little disappointed with P9, as I felt we could’ve been a bit higher up today," Alex shared after Sprint Quali.

"The tyres are so delicate so it’s crucial to get the exact window around here.

"Tyre degradation will be significant tomorrow, and we still need to understand the Soft tyre slightly better, but our race pace seems pretty strong and it should make for an interesting Sprint Race.

"We’re sitting just outside the points, so we’ll see what we can do from there."

Franco continued our reaction by commenting: "It was good to get in the car today; my first time driving on the Interlagos circuit here in São Paulo.

"It was quite a tough afternoon in Sprint Qualifying. In Q1 it was taking the tyres a long time to hit the window and my Q2 wasn’t a clean lap, and the times are so incredibly close.

"Let’s see what we can do tomorrow as there’s still a lot to play for this weekend.

"It has been amazing the past couple of days to see all the support I have here and the fans that have travelled to the race creating such a nice atmosphere."

Sporting Director Sven Smeets also shared his Friday thoughts, adding: "As we expected, it’s very tight in the midfield here in Brazil.

"In SQ1, there were only three tenths difference from P7 to P15. Both cars had a very good last lap in SQ1 and moved swiftly into SQ2.

"Unfortunately, Franco’s only push lap wasn’t clean enough to move into SQ3 as he didn’t find the right car and tyre balance.

"Alex’s single push lap just did the trick as he finished 10th just ahead of Hamilton.

"In SQ3, we didn’t get the tyres completely in the right window, finishing P9 for Alex.

"Our long runs this morning showed good pace but tyre management will be very important tomorrow, however we’re confident we can fight for points."