Carlos Sainz’s 2025 F1 Singapore GP Qualifying transformed from promising to disastrous in a matter of hours, as the Spanish driver went from consistently running inside the top six during practice to being disqualified from Qualifying alongside teammate Alex Albon due to a technical infringement.
A strong start unravels
The weekend had begun with genuine optimism for the Williams driver. Throughout the practice sessions, Sainz demonstrated competitive pace that suggested a strong qualifying performance was on the cards.
“We’ve been relatively competitive, the two sessions being always within the top 8, top 6 cars which is encouraging to start the weekend,” Sainz explained after the running on Saturday.
However, the team’s decision to alter their setup direction for FP2 proved problematic. “Unfortunately for FP2 we went in a set-up direction that I didn’t really like so, you know, maybe to revert and have something more like FP1 which was giving me a bit more confidence,” the Spaniard revealed.
The familiar challenge of extracting performance from the soft compound tyres also reared its head once again. “Our usual challenges on the soft tyre again appeared—a bit very competitive on mediums but as soon as we switched to softs we were starting to struggle,” Sainz admitted.
Qualifying Disappointment
When the F1 Singapore GP Qualifying arrived, Sainz’s concerns about setup and tyre performance materialised into a crushing result. The Spanish driver could only manage 15th position, a far cry from the top-six pace he had demonstrated throughout practice.
“We were honestly very quick on the weekend and feeling really comfortable with the car. Unfortunately, we were forced to do some setup changes for quali that didn’t go in the right direction and we lost quite a lot of rear grip,” Sainz explained, clearly frustrated by the missed opportunity.
The impact was immediate and significant. “Our relative competitiveness from T3 that we were top six easy every lap—we suddenly lost a couple of tenths and now we are P15, so very disappointed. I felt like there was a lot more in it today than what we achieved.”
Unlike previous struggles this season, Sainz was adamant that the tyre issues weren’t solely to blame. “Today I told the team, they asked me what happened, was it tyres? I said no, today it doesn’t feel like tyres. I think we haven’t got something right with the setup that we changed or with the tools that we used,” he clarified.
The difference between Q1 and Q2 highlighted how suddenly the car’s performance fell away. “I think we were maybe top 10 in Q1 but never as quick as P2 or P3. It’s like in Q2 we hit a hard limit of what the car could do and we wouldn’t go much quicker. I have a pretty good idea, I think I know what happened but now we need to focus on tomorrow and see what we can do,” Sainz said.
Technical disqualification
If qualifying had been disappointing, what followed was catastrophic. The stewards disqualified both Sainz and Albon from the qualifying results following post-session scrutineering, after discovering that the DRS slot gap on both cars’ rear wings exceeded the maximum permissible 85mm limit.
The FIA’s inspection revealed that the slot gap was oversized on both sides of the rear wing’s outer section, constituting a breach of Article 3.10.10(g) of the FIA Formula One Technical Regulations. The stewards determined this was a technical infringement regardless of intent or performance gain.
During the official hearing, Williams representatives confirmed their pre-qualifying checks had shown the DRS slot gap as compliant. However, the stewards noted that the regulations are absolute—they must consider any component found outside prescribed limits non-compliant, regardless of intent or performance impact.
Team Principal James Vowles issued a statement accepting full responsibility: “During FIA scrutineering after Qualifying, the rear wings on both our cars failed DRS slot gap checks. As a result, Alex and Carlos have been disqualified from Qualifying for tomorrow’s Singapore Grand Prix.”
“At no point were we seeking a performance advantage and the rear wings had passed our own checks earlier in the day, but there is only one measurement that matters and we fully accept the FIA ruling.”
A mountain to climb
The double disqualification delivers a crushing blow to what should have been a competitive weekend for Williams. Both drivers will now start from the back of the grid, though they have been granted permission to race in accordance with Article 39.4(b) of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations.
For Sainz, who believed the car had genuine top-six pace throughout the weekend, the disappointment is palpable. “I’m just obviously disappointed because we’ve been so strong all weekend that it feels disappointing not to capitalise on the performance we had,” he reflected after qualifying.
The Spanish driver had emphasised the importance of qualifying position at Singapore, noting that “it’s always you bias everything towards qualifying, as you know it’s usually a one-stop, easy one-stop race and just qualifying position is everything.”
Now facing the prospect of starting from the very back of the grid at one of the most difficult circuits to overtake on, Sainz and Williams face an uphill battle to salvage anything from a weekend that promised so much.
George Russell will start the F1 Singapore GP from pole position ahead of Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, whilst Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon will line up at the back of the grid following their disqualifications.
