Williams confirm that Albon will miss Sao Paulo Grand Prix

Williams have confirmed that Alex Albon will miss the Sao Paulo Grand Prix following the significant damage sustained to his car during Sunday’s qualifying session.

Having displayed eye-catching pace in the trick wet conditions in qualifying at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Alexander Albon secured a spot in Q3. However, the London-born driver caused the fifth red flag of the session after smashing three corners of his FW46 at Turn 1.

The replays showed that as Albon hit the brakes for the first corner, he lost the rear of his Williams. The Thai driver reported on the radio that his brakes might have failed, but his race engineer answered that he could not see any failure on the data.

The Grove-based outfit noted: “In Qualifying earlier this morning, ahead of the São Paulo Grand Prix, Williams Racing sustained significant accident damage to both cars following incidents in the inclement weather conditions.”

Williams have now confirmed that Albon will not be able to take part in today’s 71-lap race at Sao Paulo following the significant damage his car suffered during the incident.

“Unfortunately, after assessing the extensive damage sustained to Alex Albon’s car, the required repairs could not be completed in the short window of time between Qualifying and the Race. The team is therefore forced to withdraw Alex’s car for the remainder of the Grand Prix.”

Albon’s team-mate Franco Colapinto has also sustained a high-speed crash, but Williams have confirmed that the Argentine driver will compete in this afternoon’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Commenting on the situation, Williams team boss James Vowles noted: “It’s a heartbreaking day for the team. We’re here to go racing and nobody wants to be in this situation.

“The most important point is that all the drivers who had incidents in Qualifying are okay, including Alex and Franco. Despite the best efforts of our hard-working, talented and resilient team, there simply was not enough time to repair Alex’s car in time for the Grand Prix.

“It’s a bitter pill to swallow at the end of a tough triple-header, especially when both drivers showed tremendous pace this morning. We will focus on maximising this afternoon with Franco and putting on a show for the incredible fans here in Brazil.”