Sainz: I've felt at home in the car from lap 1

The Spaniard made the most of the treacherous condition on the Las Vegas Strip to qualify in a much better position than initially expected.

In a Qualifying session where many drivers went off-track and struggled for grip on the slick tarmac, Sainz kept his Williams FW47 pointing in the right direction, only setting a time slower than Championship contenders Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.

Williams are currently fifth in the Constructors' Championship, 29 points ahead of nearest rivals Racing Bulls in the Standings. A strong result in Las Vegas will help secure P5 for the Grove-based outfit.

Speaking after the conclusion of Qualifying, Sainz was understandably overjoyed to place his Williams on the second row of the grid for the Grand Prix. He even believes that he had a chance at claiming pole at one stage during the session.

He said: "Very happy after one of the trickiest qualifying’s of the year!

"From my first lap today, I’ve felt at home with the car. Every time I was closing in on my lap we were at the top of the field and I was enjoying myself out there in these conditions.

"Despite opening my last attempt a bit early, I knew I had a shot at pole and for a moment I thought I had it! But two very quick cars behind me were able to improve and edge us out.

The Williams driver doesn't expect to challenge for victory during the night race, but hopes to maintain position and secure his second podium of the season.

He continued: "Still, P3 is an amazing result for the team and we have to feel proud of the job done. Our target for tomorrow will be to remain in position, whilst being conscious we have some very quick cars behind us and it’s easy to overtake here.

"We’ll make ourselves as wide as possible and give it our all," concluded Sainz.

On the other side of the garage, Alexander Albon put in a poor Qualifying performance. The British driver failed to make it out of Q1 after clattering the barriers in the final sector, damaging his front suspension beyond timely repair.

As expected, Albon was highly disappointed: "A frustrating qualifying result as we have been quick all weekend.

"The conditions were tricky out there and I was experiencing some random aquaplaning across different laps.

"The laps I was able to do in clean air I was happy with, but unfortunately, we never really got a clean lap without a yellow flag," stated Albon.

The 29-year-old went on to explain the circumstances that caused his unfortunate crash.

He added: "There was a lot going on through the last few corners with various flags and to get to the line on time, and I had a snap and we ultimately got caught out.

"It is frustrating as we should’ve been in Q3 today as well. Hopefully it is dry tomorrow, but I’m confident that we have a good car and can fight back in the race."

The Las Vegas Grand Prix commences Sunday 23 November at 04:00 GMT (Saturday 22 November at 20:00 local time).