There was an incident-filled qualifying session at the Brazilian Grand Prix, with multiple drivers suffering heavy crashes in the rain ahead of Sunday’s race at Interlagos
There was an incident-filled qualifying session at the Brazilian Grand Prix, with multiple drivers suffering heavy crashes in the rain ahead of Sunday’s race at Interlagos There was an incident-filled qualifying session at the Brazilian Grand Prix, with multiple drivers suffering heavy crashes in the rain ahead of Sunday’s race at Interlagos
Alex Albon has ruled himself out of the Brazilian Grand Prix after suffering a heavy crash in qualifying.
Albon lost control of his Williams car at turn one of the Interlagos track during the top ten shootout in Q3. He had to be taken away by the medical car due to the impact of the incident.
Once he was cleared by the on-track doctors, Albon returned to the pitlane for his post-qualifying media duties. And he confirmed that his crash was so severe that he would not be able to race in the Grand Prix.
“I am out, for sure, there is no way. There is no way,” he told Viaplay when asked for an assessment of his car’s damage. He had been able to put a time in during the Q3 session, which would have put him seventh on the starting grid.
Williams took their time to confirm what their driver had said but eventually released a statement which read: “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 GP.”
His team-mate Franco Colapinto also had a crash earlier in qualifying, with the Argentine only able to start 18th on the grid. Qualifying had been postponed from its normal Saturday slot due to heavy rain in Sao Paulo.
Instead, it was run on Sunday morning, with the race also brought forward to Sunday afternoon from its original evening slot. There were five red flags in total as the drivers struggled to keep their cars on the rain-soaked track.
McLaren star Lando Norris claimed pole position after mastering the tricky conditions. His title rival Max Verstappen was controversially knocked out in Q2, with the Dutchman left fuming over a late red flag.
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Peter Fox – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
He said: “A car hits the wall and it needs to be straight red [flag]. I do not understand why it needs to take 30 or 40 seconds for a red flag to come out, it is just bulls***. Honestly, I will let it go. It is so stupid anyway to talk about, it is ridiculous.”
Verstappen has been hit with a five-place grid penalty for changing his engine, meaning he will start well down the order. Mercedes’ George Russell will start just behind Norris after taking second, with RB’s Yuki Tsunoda in third.
The Japanese star will line up alongside Alpine’s Esteban Ocon who took fourth, with Tsunoda’s team-mate Liam Lawson in fifth. Norris’ team-mate Oscar Piastri had to settle for eighth after having a moment of his own at the start of his final flying lap.
Like Williams, Aston Martin’s mechanics also have a lot of work to do in the final few hours before the race, with both Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso involved in heavy crashes. One of the shocks of the day saw seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton knocked out in Q1, with the British driver left fuming with his Mercedes car.
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Mirror – Sport
