Sainz forced to run compromised Williams after Zandvoort practice damage
Sainz loses performance after three gravel excursions
Carlos Sainz will contest the Dutch Grand Prix sprint weekend with less competitive Williams components after damaging his car during a disrupted first practice session at Zandvoort.
The Spaniard went off three times in FP1, limiting his preparation for sprint qualifying and leaving Williams short of its preferred parts. Sainz said the incidents caused significant damage and forced the team to fit components that offered less downforce and weaker performance delivery for the remainder of the weekend.
âI struggled a lot this morning with the balance of the car and unfortunately went off into the gravel a few times,â Sainz said. âWe damaged quite a lot of parts on the car, so in my FP1 I couldnât run with the right components.â
He added that the gravel at the circuit had proved particularly punishing, increasing the consequences of each mistake as Williams manages a limited supply of parts before its planned upgrade arrives at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Williams managing its parts supply
Sainz said the team was âa bit tight on everythingâ until the Baku upgrade, meaning the damage affected more than a single session. The immediate priority is now to extract useful information from the sprint while limiting further losses across the rest of the weekend.
That situation adds another layer to Williamsâ difficult development phase, detailed further in Sainzâs commitment to Williams for 2027 despite a difficult season. With the new package still to come, the team is having to balance short-term performance against the need to preserve its existing inventory.
Team-mate Alexander Albon confirmed that both drivers are taking a cautious approach with the cars. âWeâve obviously had these cars for a while now, we havenât upgraded for a while, so theyâre a little bit worse for wear, so we have to treat them nicely,â he said.
Sainz salvages 18th in sprint qualifying
Despite the compromised car and limited running, Sainz qualified 18th for the sprint. He said the lack of a proper FP1 reference made it difficult to produce two strong laps in SQ1, where the opening runs are especially important.
âGiven how little I ran and how compromised my car is, I think I did a couple of good laps,â Sainz said.
His session was not entirely over, however: stewards subsequently announced an investigation into whether he had been driving unnecessarily slowly during qualifying. The outcome could add another complication to a weekend already shaped by damage, restricted parts and a delayed performance picture.
Simone Scanu
Heâs a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.