The qualifying session was marked by five red flags at Interlagos, after as many exits from the track, for Franco Colapinto, Carlos Sainz, Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso and finally Alexander Albon. The Williams drivers' accidents caused serious damage to their cars, to the point of compromising their participation in the race.
The latter was brought forward to 12:30 p.m. on site (4:30 p.m. in France) and there was barely more than three hours between the end of qualifying and the start. Too short a time to repair the damage to Albon's Williams, certain that its exit from the track was caused by a technical fault.
“I think we thought there was a problem, I know we had a problem, we just have to analyze it”declared the Thai on F1 TV. “I feel it. As soon as I hit the brakes, there was a beep in my ear, which usually means there's a break, I had a lock in the back and a big accident, so unfortunately it’s a package for us in the race.”
Asked about the possible chances of seeing him on the track in the afternoon, Albon was certain that his car “will not be repaired” in time for the race, despite a promising seventh place on the starting grid.
An hour before the start, Williams confirmed the withdrawal. “Despite the best efforts of our hard-working, talented and resilient team, there was simply not enough time to repair Alex's car before the Grand Prix.”explained James Volwes, the boss of the team. “It’s a tough pill to swallow at the end of a tough three-race series, especially when both drivers showed excellent pace this morning.”
Colapinto should contest the race
On the other side of the garage, Franco Colapinto did not display great optimism, with big doubts about his presence on the grid. “They have a lot of work”he told ESPN Argentina. “I don't know if they're going to make it for the race. It's a shame.”
“We'll see if we can start, which is what I want the most”underlined the interim at Williams. “Now we have to work and try to start the race. It was a small mistake that shouldn't have happened.”
VIDEO – Franco Colapinto's crash in Q1 at Interlagos
Williams, however, affirmed that Colapinto would be fine at the start, with even the hope that he could be on the starting grid, without having to start from the pit lane.
The pilot in any case confirmed that his exit from the track was “100% [son] error” : “I don't know what happened. I had some slippage and nothing…unrecoverable. It's very sad. Sorry to the team.”
For its part, Williams hopes to have its two drivers in the race. “Both cars have significant damage which is being analyzed”the team said. “We are doing our best to get both cars ready to race, but it will be Alex's car due to the damage.”
With Mark Mann-Bryans and Federico Faturos
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