Carlos Sainz, the highly regarded Spaniard who was replaced by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, has expressed his satisfaction with his decision to join Williams. This comes after both Sainz and his teammate Alex Albon qualified in the top 10 for the Australian Grand Prix on Saturday.

Sainz, who will start 10th in Sunday's race, four positions behind Albon at Albert Park, is optimistic about the team's potential. Williams, which finished ninth in the constructors' championship last year, aims to be the best of the midfield teams after showing improved performance during preseason testing.

Despite the opportunity to join Sauber, which will become the Audi factory outfit in 2026, Sainz chose Williams. He expressed his happiness and pride in the team's progress, stating, "Very happy, very proud of the whole team, the way we've managed to progress through the winter and put together a car that is allowing us to be in Q3 for the first time in many years with both cars. I think it's great."

Sainz also highlighted his potential for improvement, saying, "And it can only get better because I have so much more potential to unlock as soon as I understand how to extract lap time in Q3."

When asked if Williams' performance vindicated his decision to join the team, Sainz responded affirmatively, "Yeah, definitely. Might be how it's meant to be, and now it's a matter of working hard because I see a lot of potential in this team."

Alex Albon, who wrecked his car in practice at last year's race at Albert Park, is also optimistic about the team's prospects. He noted, "We were fighting for points in previous years but .... this year it feels like we should be able to score points in every race."

With rain forecasted for Sunday, Albon is preparing for challenging conditions, particularly for the six racers starting their first season at Albert Park. He remarked, "No-one's driven on the inters [intermediate tyres] or the wets. Good luck to the rookies. Let's see, anything can happen. I'm hoping for a fairly safe race but there is going to be carnage for sure."