Alex Albon: Our form is much better than it was a year ago

      In the first qualifying of the new season, both Williams drivers made it to the final session – the previous time was last year in Baku. On Saturday in Melbourne, Alex Albon scored the 6th result, Carlos Sainz - the 10th.

      James Voules, Team Leader: "A fantastically successful day for our team! I am very happy for Alex, he drove a great lap and showed the result exactly when it was important. But because of Carlos, I was upset, because we know that he could have moved up to a higher position, but the team didn't work out the best.

      The good news is that we will start the race from a good position, and in the weather conditions that we are promised on Sunday, our riders can get a lot of opportunities to move forward. The qualifying results have given the team a new boost of energy."

      Alex Albon (6th): "We were aiming to get into the top ten, and 6th time is a great result, which I am very pleased with. We have a very good car, it is much easier to drive, because it is predictable on the track.

      The results are very tight, and there will be intense competition in the middle of the peloton this year, but we are starting the season from a good position. Moreover, it seems that speed in qualifying is not the most important advantage of our car. The most noticeable thing is that we have increased our racing pace.

      The team did a lot of work at the Grove base, we paid special attention to ensuring that the car had a normal weight at the beginning of the season, and now our form is much better than it was last year. We are in a completely different position now.

      I am very proud of how the team worked today, and it creates a good mood. Rain is expected tomorrow, although no one has completed a single lap on intermediate tires or rain tires, so we'll see how things develop."

      Carlos Sainz (10th): "First of all, I am very happy for the whole team, for Alex and for myself. This is my first qualifying with Williams, and both our cars made it to the final session, which means that the main goal has been achieved. The hard work during the winter off-season has borne fruit, and we have made a big step forward.

      As for me, my qualifications, to be honest, did not go very smoothly. However, there is no reason to worry. There are still a lot of features of the FW47 that I have yet to figure out, and I'm sure I'll be able to drive laps much better soon. If it rains tomorrow, I'll also need to adapt quickly, but I'm already looking forward to the race. We will try to make full use of every opportunity. Everything is just beginning!"