Williams driver Alex Albon will start the Formula 1 Spanish GP from the pitlane following power unit component changes outside of his part allocation
Albon, who qualified 19th is set for a pitlane start for taking a new battery and control electronics outside of his competent allocation set by the FIA for the 2024 season
Williams had a difficult qualifying session, with both cars out in Q1 locking into the last row of the grid with Albon ahead of teammate Logan Sargeant
Due to this poor result, the Groove-based team has decided to start from the pitlane and change components from Albon’s power unit in an attempt to try to make the most from the race and have fresh parts for the upcoming race weekends
The Stewards document states: “The Power Unit elements have been replaced without the approval of the FIA technical delegate, this not being in conformity with Article 40.3 of the 2024 Formula One Sporting Regulations.
“Therefore car number 23 should now be required to start the race from the pit lane according to Article 40.9 of the 2024 Formula One Sporting Regulations.”
Effectively, this will make Logan Sargeant promoted to 19th, but Albon’s grid slot will remain empty and the American driver will start from his qualifying position in last
Williams, who has scored only two points in the first nine races of the season is having a tough time in Barcelona being arguably the slowest team on the grid around the Spanish track.
Despite the bad performance during the qualifying, Albon stated that his balance felt good during the session
“I don’t think tyre-wise we were in an optimal position. I felt like we underheated the tyres a little bit, so in Turn 1, Turn 2, I was struggling a bit with balance. And then after that, I was happy with the lap. But that’s what it is now. It’s so close out there.
“When I look at last year to this year, we’ve made a huge step. It really does feel a lot better to drive, but we’re obviously still carrying some weight.”
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