Carlos Sainz blasts Brazil sprint qualifying after SQ1 exit: "Worst execution I have seen in my life"

Carlos Sainz lamented a poorly executed sprint qualifying session in Brazil, which resulted in a P20 start for the sprint race tomorrow.

After being eliminated in SQ1, the Williams driver exclaimed over the team radio, "This is the worst execution I have seen in my life."

"Yeah, we just simply didn't do a good quali," Sainz explained after the session. "I mean, first run was quite messy with traffic and problem with getting the tyres up to temperature.

"But then the second run, we managed to make our life even more difficult and we almost didn't put two laps in. So, yeah, in general, just I go out of this quali without knowing what was the limit or the performance of the car because we didn't even do two laps."

The Spanish driver missed the media day due to illness, but confirmed that his health, while it was not 100%, was not a factor.

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"Physically, obviously, not 100%, but pace in FP1 shows that I could have done a fast lap today if needed. But we managed to put ourselves in a position to never complete a fast lap. So it's impossible to know what we could have done."

Carlos Sainz, Williams

Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images

Saturday is expected to see rain showers in the morning with scattered thunderstorms arriving in the afternoon. Wind could also be a factor for the drivers in the sprint race and grand prix qualifying, with WNW winds anticipated to be between 15 and 25 mph.

McLaren's Lando Norris secured pole position for the sprint and is joined by Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli on the front row in second. Norris's team-mate Oscar Piastri took third on the starting grid with George Russell in fourth.

Sainz currently sits 11th in the drivers' standings with 38 points and just four rounds remaining of the 2025 season.

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