Carlos Sainz issues major Williams Qatar concern

Carlos Sainz has issued a major concern that the Qatar Grand Prix could be "the most or one of the most" challenging races of the year. 

Williams enter the penultimate round of the 2025 F1 season in complete control of fifth in the constructors' standings, a spot it can secure in Qatar if it scores 16 points more than Racing Bulls.

Whilst Alex Albon has encountered difficulties in recent races, Sainz has shown excellent pace and made the most of chances to feature closer to the front. 

The Spaniard qualified in third in Las Vegas before finishing the race in fifth, promoting Sainz into 11th in the drivers' standings. 

However, following a strong showing in Sin City, the 31-year-old expects the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar to be a poor venue for the Grove-based outfit. 

Williams has struggled in medium and high-speed corners this season, the two style of corners which make up this weekend's venue.

Asked why he is so concerned about this weekend, Sainz said: "Well, it’s just at the speed range where every track we go to, we’re the slowest on those sorts of corners. It’s 150 to 200 km/h, medium-speed, high-speed corners—fourth, fifth, sixth gear. 

"Every track we go to, we see the GPS data, and we tend to be one of the slowest cars or one of the slowest teams. And in Qatar, you only have those corners. 

"So, unless we come up with something magical in terms of setup that switches the car on for this kind of corners—which we cannot switch on in other tracks—I’m afraid it’s going to be the most or one of the most difficult weekends of the season. 

"Having said that, I think it’s a great opportunity for the team and for myself to learn why we are weak in this kind of corners, why our car doesn’t like this kind of corners, and still try to execute a good weekend in a difficult track."