Report: Grid set at the Temple of Speed
Carlos Sainz progressed through to Q2 in Monza, with Alex Albon playing a supporting role ahead of Sunday’s grid penalty
Published
05 SEP 2026
Est. reading time
3 min
Carlos Sainz qualified in P15 for Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix, with Alex Albon playing the team game ahead of his grid penalty on Sunday.
Atlassian Williams F1 Team used Alex’s Q1 running to help tow Carlos around Monza's long straights – a well-worn tactic at the Temple of Speed. Carlos made the most of it, with a best lap of 1:23.616 enough to see him through to Q2 in P16.
Alex only recorded a single representative lap, a 1:24.356, which left him P18 and out of the session.
Carlos’ best Q2 lap, a 1:23.453, was good enough only for P15, but he will gain places on the grid when Liam Lawson and Kimi Antonelli also take grid penalties.
Earlier in the day, the final practice session saw Carlos and Alex add 37 laps to their weekend tally, with time spent not just rehearsing strategies ahead of qualifying, but also gathering crucial data for the 53-lap Grand Prix.
James Vowles, Team Principal
“The session was executed as well as we could; that was fundamentally where our car is performance-wise. We're lacking performance through the two Lesmos and the Parabolica, and we haven't been able to get the car into a good enough place this weekend.
“Thank you to Alex, who played the team game in providing a tow for Carlos. We have engine penalties with him, so irrespective, there was nothing we could do today that would change his ultimate position on the grid tomorrow. Carlos got everything out of the car that we could, and it just illustrates the gap that we need to work on. Well done to Pierre - really quick lap and great to see him taking pole position."
Carlos Sainz
“We tried a few things yesterday and this morning, which got the car into a better place. We did all we could today and maximised the result. A clean lap in Q1 and a good lap in Q2 to be ahead of Ocon - meaning I'll be starting P13 tomorrow. Let's see what we can do tomorrow from there!”
Alex Albon
“We knew we would be starting at the back of the grid due to the engine penalty, so the plan today was to play the team game and help get Carlos through to Q2. Deployment and tow are so powerful that staying in the chain matters a lot, so that will be key tomorrow to make up places. Pace was okay, although we’re still off the midfield, but the engine is strong on the straights. The F2 and F3 races had some drama, so hopefully we get a bit of chaos to play into our hands tomorrow. The real focus now is on the race, and hopefully we can fight in the midfield."
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