Elbon: At times our speed was comparable to the leaders.

      Team Williams also scored points in Monza thanks to Alex Albon’s seventh place. The result allowed them to extend their lead over Aston Martin to 24 points in the fight for fifth place.

      Alex Albon (7th): “Today we had a fantastic strategy and a great race pace. Together that led to a great race. We were prepared for a tough battle, but because I was the first to switch to Hard tyres, the race turned out to be pretty straightforward – the car was quick and enjoyable to drive.

      I have to say, in terms of car balance this is one of the best days of the year. On many stints of the race our speed was comparable to the leading teams. It’s great to bounce back after a difficult qualifying.”

      Carlos Sainz (11th): “A tough day. I was the last of those who started on Mediums, so I practically had no strategic options. I tried to stretch the first stint before switching to the Hards, I was driving quickly and making up places, but then there was an incident with Oliver Bearman.

      The car was damaged, so it was difficult to make up many positions. It’s a shame, as we missed the chance to score a lot of points, but we have the pace, so we’ll try to make up for it in Baku.”