Called up after qualifying following the discovery by the scrutineers that his Williams did not contain the required amount of fuel, Alex Albon was disqualified from the session. The Thai will therefore start from the last place on the starting grid of the event this Sunday.
The FW44 hit number 23 had come to a standstill in its deceleration lap at the end of Q1, where its driver had set the 16th time. However, at the time of scrutineering, the FIA delegate for these matters, Jo Bauer, had only found 0.33 liters of petrol instead of the minimum 1.15 liters (1 liter + the estimated quantity necessary to return at the stand by his own means) who should have been present.
Like Sebastian Vettel at the end of the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, the driver was therefore excluded from the results for this clear technical infraction. Despite his 16th fastest time, Albon had to start from 19th anyway because of the penalty of three places back received at the end of the Saudi Arabian GP, when he was found responsible for the collision with Lance Stroll.
Here is the justification of the commissioners: “After qualifying, car 23 did not have enough fuel to produce the required 1.0 liter sample. Given this situation, car 23 is not in compliance with the requirements of article 6.5 of the Formula 1 Technical Regulations. According to Art. 6.5.2, competitors must ensure that a 1.0 liter fuel sample can be taken at all times. [du week-end] in the car.”
“The procedure was followed but the 1.0 liter fuel sample could not be taken. The marshals decide to apply the standard penalty for technical infractions. So they took into account the fact that it is impossible to defend themselves by saying that no performance advantage has been obtained.”
“The Stewards have received a request from Williams Racing to allow car 23 to start the race. The Stewards therefore allow car 23, Alex Albon, to start the race.”