Grand Prix

Williams Team Boss Provides Alex Albon Damage Update After Dramatic Practice Fire

Albon was forced to sit out the majority of first practice for the Singapore Grand Prix after a fire early in the session.
Ewan Gale|
Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Williams team principal James Vowles has provided an update on the damage to Alex Albon's car after a fire during first practice for Formula 1's Singapore Grand Prix.

The Thai-Briton's weekend got off to the worst possible start at the Marina Bay Circuit as he was forced to pit just over five minutes into the opening hour with flames spitting from behind both rear wheels.

While Albon remained in the car initially hopeful that the fire would be swiftly extinguished, he was then seen jumping out as mechanics desperately attempted to limit the damage to the rear of the car.

Rear end change

It would take three minutes for the flames to abate, meaning Albon would take no further part in the session. An explanation from a Williams spokesperson said: "Alex has experienced a rear brake hardware problem."

The statement added that the team was confident that the issue would be resolved ready for second practice. Adding further color post-session, Vowles told Sky Sports UK: "It is basically a rear-end change, so it just takes time to evaluate.

"It is much easier now. We have pre-built rear ends, gearbox, suspension, etcetera. It is much easier just pulling that off and replacing the whole assembly."

The issue left Albon without a time on the board and he missed out on over 50 minutes of vital track acclimatization time around the streets of Singapore, with city circuits often dictating a need for on-track running to constantly build up confidence and speed across the weekend.

Teammate Carlos Sainz was able to complete the session and gather data for Williams to use going into the rest of the weekend, posting the eighth fastest time of the opening hour despite running the medium tires rather than the softs.

Carlos Sainz, Williams
Williams Racing

A crumb of comfort for Albon is the fact that first practice at this venue is largely unrepresentative for the competitive sessions on Saturday and Sunday, with track conditions vastly different from what drivers will face under the floodlights when night falls for qualifying and the race.

Asked whether that softened the blow, Vowles insisted he would "prefer not to miss any" though added: "You can already see how quickly it ramped up in that session - three or four seconds - so FP2 will be a lot more relevant.

"But this is also a street track where you have got to build up into it, so he will be on the back foot."

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Ewan Gale
EWAN GALE

Ewan is a motorsport journalist covering F1 for Grand Prix On SI. Having been educated at Silverstone, the home of the British Grand Prix, and subsequently graduating from university with a sports journalism degree, Ewan made a move into F1 in 2021. Ewan joins after a stint with Autosport as an editor, having written for a number of outlets including RacingNews365 and GPFans, during which time he has covered grand prix and car launches as an accredited member of the media.

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