Tire temperature issues cost Williams three-tenths of a second, resulting in a dip from third place on Friday to Q2 on Saturday.
In the qualifying session for the Formula 1 race at Monza, drivers Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz of the Williams F1 team faced difficulties warming up their tires effectively. This issue, as mentioned earlier, has been a recurring problem for the team.
Sainz and Albon were 0.1 and 1.5 tenths of a second short, respectively, of making it into Q3. Their struggles resulted in qualifying in 13th and 14th places, respectively, a significant drop from their Friday performance where Sainz finished third twice.
The short duration of the qualifying session compared to practice sessions is a factor affecting the ability to warm up tires. Sainz stated that they had insufficient time to bring the soft tire into the window where it has the right balance for their car in the qualifying.
The team and drivers are actively working on addressing this tire problem. They have tried various strategies such as different outlap timings and preparation laps, but results remain inconsistent. Albon described attempts including running asynchronously on track and deliberately entering traffic to heat the tires, but these measures have not reliably worked, leading to frustration.
The main focus is on better tire preparation and managing the timing and conditions of tire use during qualifying. Sainz mentions that they need to bring the soft tire into the window where it has the right balance for their car to gain two or three tenths.
Albon also expressed his frustration, stating that the team was trying everything they could to address the tire issue. He revealed that they were running a bit too light during qualifying, which might have contributed to the tire problems.
Overtaking in Monza is difficult, making it challenging for Williams to exploit a better pace in the race. Sainz reported experiencing randomness and a switching factor in getting the front and rear axles to work simultaneously with the tire.
Despite the qualifying setbacks, Sainz and Albon believe they can get their tires up to temperature during the race. The challenge for Williams in the qualifying was not being able to warm up their tires, causing performance issues, as mentioned earlier. The team will continue to work on finding solutions to improve their qualifying performance in the upcoming races.
