ZANDVOORT, Netherlands (Reuters) – Williams said they had an easy fix for Alex Albon’s car after the driver was disqualified from Dutch Grand Prix qualifying because the floor was too wide.
The Thai, who had qualified an impressive eighth, will be able to take part in Sunday’s race at Zandvoort from the back of the grid.
Teammate Logan Sargeant, who did not take part in qualifying after a big crash in practice, was set to start ahead of him in 19th place.
“There’s only one area of the car that we were not compliant with, and it’s an easy fix,” team boss James Vowles said in a video explanation on Sunday.
He said the floor had been scanned repeatedly before and after arrival in Zandvoort.
“We did demonstrate all of these results to the FIA, which indicate that our floor is within the legal compliance,” he added.
“But what matters is the adjudication of the FIA, their measurements and their systems, and that we entirely accept.”
Vowles said the team now needed to understand why its measurements differed from the FIA’s.
“I feel we have a strong enough car to be able to fight through the field. I’m excited by the prospects for today, because the car remains quick, and we have an opportunity in the race,” he said.
Williams are ninth of 10 teams in the standings with four points from 14 races.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond)
Source Agencies
