Toro Rosso’s Alexander Albon will start the Chinese Grand Prix from the pit lane in the wake of his “silly” crash during Saturday’s final practice session.
Albon ran wide through the final corner at Shanghai and speared into the barriers on the inside of the track, causing substantial damage to the STR14.
Albon was able to walk away unaided from the wreckage and was swiftly given the all-clear in the wake of a precautionary visit to the medical centre.
Toro Rosso has opted to undertake a change of chassis and as a result Albon – who did not participate in qualifying – must start the race from the pit lane.
![Aston Martin managed its first race finish of 2026 with Fernando Alonso [behind] completing the distance](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Aston-Martin-Honda-Japanese-GP-120x86.webp)
“I’m just more disappointed I made a mistake,” said Albon. “It was a big crash. It was a silly one as well.
“Obviously, being quick in FP3 doesn’t really help you that much as it’s qualifying that counts, but there are still positives to take away.
“I had been playing around with that AstroTurf at the last corner for a while now because it’s a bit quicker using that extra bit of track.
“It’s always a little bit loose and normally you can recover it, but this time I was a bit greedy with the throttle.
“I would have preferred to have spun to the left side of the track, but the car went to the right and I hit the wall.
“Looking on the bright side, we had a good FP2 and our race pace looks strong so I’m optimistic about tomorrow’s race.”
Joining Albon in missing qualifying was Antonio Giovinazzi, with his Alfa Romeo C38 stranded in the garage due to a suspected power unit issue, though the Italian will be permitted to take up 19th spot on the grid.
![Aston Martin managed its first race finish of 2026 with Fernando Alonso [behind] completing the distance](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Aston-Martin-Honda-Japanese-GP-350x250.webp)
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