Albon's Baku Q3 challenge: Fan incident and tensions in the competition

Alex Albon's attempt to get a tow during Q3 in Baku ended in an incident where an airbox fan accidentally remained attached to his Williams car. When Albon attempted to rejoin the track, he noticed the fan was still there and had to remove it himself to avoid disqualification. After speaking to his team, they decided to take action without involving track marshals as he wanted to keep his position for the race. Albon admitted the error but remained optimistic about his qualifying position and the team's overall performance despite the mishap.

In numbers

• Albon qualified for the race in 10th place.
• Rookie Franco Colapinto overtook Albon in qualifying and made it into Q3.

Current status

• Albon expressed confidence that he would be able to maintain his qualifying position despite the incident.
• Overall, the session was productive for Williams, with both drivers contributing to a strong performance in qualifying.

What's next

Albon may face scrutiny from race control over the incident, but hopes his behaviour will not affect his race placing. The team will conduct an internal review to avoid similar issues at future qualifying rounds.

Conclusion

The incident highlights the importance of maintaining focus and communication within the team during crucial moments of qualification and the need for procedural improvements to avoid future errors.