Sky presenter names surprising candidate 'fully in the battle' at Monza

Jamie Chadwick sees Williams as “fully in the fight” at Monza after Carlos Sainz ended Friday’s FP2 with the third-fastest time of the day.

While McLaren once again confirmed itself as the team to beat, and Ferrari are eager to deliver their first win of the season to the tifosi, Friday at Monza saw the rise of a contender that was surprising—though not entirely unexpected.

Williams showed today that they may well have the pace to make an impact in tomorrow’s qualifying, with Carlos Sainz clocking the third-fastest time in FP2.

The morning had already started on a strong note for the Spanish driver—once a fan favorite in Italy before his move to the British team—after securing third place once again.

Alexander Albon, meanwhile, finished seventh in the morning session and matched that same position in the afternoon.

Carlos Sainz

Can Williams aim for a great result at Monza after positive Friday?

What stands out most is the tiny gap the FW47 posted relative to leader Norris—just 96 thousandths of a second behind and right on the heels of Charles Leclerc.

Commenting on the FP2 result at the end of the session, Sky Sports F1’s Jamie Chadwick said: ''it's so close. Sainz is up there in P3, it's incredibly close, and there isn't much between any of them. It's encouraging for us going into tomorrow.''

She then added: "I think Williams are fully in the battle. It's difficult to see who has got engines turned up, but, particularly as we saw so many mistakes, I think it's a battle all the way through the top 10."

It remains to be seen whether the team led by James Vowles can replicate this performance in tomorrow’s qualifying, on a track where Williams has consistently shown strong competitiveness thanks to the car’s adaptability on high-speed circuits.

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