Alex Albon Reveals Reasoning Behind Australia GP Crash: "I Was Going Slower"

It was a case of so near, yet so far for Williams driver Alex Albon at the Melbourne Grand Prix. The driver was putting in an impressive performance, running in sixth place. However, disaster struck on lap 7 when Albon lost control of his car and crashed into the barriers at Turn 7, ending his race early.

Reflecting on what happened and after analysis by the driver and team, Albon believes it was actually the corner prior that caused the issues, admitting that his tyre temperature spikes after running wide.

"We’re still looking at the data but there was nothing unusual in the corner itself. When I lost the car, I was going through slower than the previous lap; I went wide on the corner before and spiked the tyre temperatures, losing grip and going into the next corner a bit hot, so I think that’s what happened but we need to look at it.

"With all the accidents, it was a good chance to score points this weekend, so I’m very sorry to the team. I’m disappointed, as we had a great car today and were really strong."

Williams' head of vehicle performance Dave Robson shed more light on the incident, explaining that data showed the heightened tyre temperatures after a snap in oversteer on the corner prior.

"It was a remarkable race but ultimately it was a missed opportunity for us," he said. "Alex built on his excellent qualifying display to make more positions at the start and was looking good for a comfortable top ten finish.

"Unfortunately, touching the kerb at high speed in Turn 5 led to a small snap and a spike in tyre temperature, which led him to lose the car at the next corner."

This was a sad day for fans of the Thai-British driver, but while this may have been track-specific performance from the Williams car, the performance seen in Australia has fired up the excitement and confidence of the team's drivers and its followers.