Alex Albon's Q1 Exit Overturned Too Late After Hulkenberg's Lap was Deleted

During the qualifying session for the Bahrain Grand Prix, Alex Albon was knocked out of Q1 by Nico Hulkenberg's Kick Sauber, marking the first time the Williams driver has been eliminated so early in the competition.

It also marked the first time that his teammate Carlos Sainz managed out qualify Albon.

After reviewing Hulkenberg's lap, the FIA stewards invalidated his time during Q1 due to track limits, dropping him to P16 and promoting Albon to P15.

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The decision by the FIA came more than 30 minutes after the session ended, which meant Albon did not have the opportunity to improve his position on the grid during Q2. Considering the pace of his teammate, he could have made it into Q3 as well.

Had the FIA reviewed the lap after Q1, Albon could have continued onto the next session.

We didn’t get it right with traffic in qualifying today which really cost us. We left a lot on the table but we have strong race pace so let’s turn it around and maximise tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/UthDHIJ1dn
— Alex Albon (@alex_albon) April 12, 2025

Instead, a Sauber team representative was summoned to the stewards to explain what happened on the lap. However, Hulkenberg's lap time was still deleted for having all four wheels off the track at Turn 11, according to the FIA.

Albon, for his part, attributed his exit to a poor out-lap, as his tires were unable to reach their optimal performance window.

"We ended up having to wait for everyone to go past, so we were waiting there for three minutes," Albon told reporters after qualifying.

"I think tyres dropped about 25, 30 degrees Celsius, and these tires don't like that."

"I overtook three or four cars in the out lap, trying to make it out. Just trying to finish, get a lap on the board."

"The tyres were very cold unfortunate and tricky, honestly."

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Despite his poor starting position, Albon remains optimistic that he can achieve a good result, especially considering the potential ease of overtaking.

The FIA deleted Nico Hulkenberg’s Q1 lap 45 minutes AFTER the session, meaning Alex Albon missed out on a chance to compete in Q2 😬

Albon had finished Q1 in P16, with Hulkenberg in P15.

Does F1 stewarding need an overhaul? pic.twitter.com/iIwC4MnfOl
— Crash.net – Formula 1 (@CRASH_NET_F1) April 12, 2025

"I don't think it will be that bad, because I think we don't have a Japan race," he said.

"We're going to see a one-stop, possibly two-stops, hoping a two-stop for me just to try and get up."

"We had really good pace on Friday, considering, erm, in the midfield."

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If the Williams has the pace it has shown so far, Albon could quickly make up places on track, especially if the team nails the strategy and accounts for the high temperatures and degradation expected on Sunday.

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