In a dramatic moment during the qualifying session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, a mechanic from Williams had a close call when Alex Albon’s car, the FW46, nearly hit him. As a result, the team has received a $5,000 fine.
The incident unfolded when Albon exited the Williams garage still connected to the airbox intake fan. Video footage captures a mechanic rushing to disconnect the fan while another crew member signals for Albon to leave. Amidst the chaos, the car came alarmingly close to the mechanic, who just managed to dodge it.
After the near-miss, Albon was forced to stop at the pit exit to remove the fan himself. He tossed the detached fan to the edge of the track, where it was promptly picked up by a marshal. Although Albon eventually made it onto the track, the delay cost him valuable time, relegating him to the tenth spot on the starting grid.
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“The Stewards conducted a review with the team representative of Car 23 (Alexander Albon) and analyzed video footage, team radio, and in-car visuals.
“They confirmed the car left the garage with the fan still attached, and after stopping at the pit exit, the driver took it off and discarded it for retrieval by a marshal. This led to Albon missing the chance for another timed lap.
“Typically, cars released in an unsafe state should halt at a safe spot. Throwing parts aside, which requires marshal assistance for recovery, isn’t standard procedure. However, in this instance, the actions of both the team and driver prevented an unnecessary yellow flag that would have impacted others. Overall, this turned out to be the ‘least worst option.’
“Had any of these actions negatively influenced other competitors or created additional hazards, we would have imposed stricter penalties. Nonetheless, we have handed down the standard fine for an unsafe release: €5,000.”