Alex Albon, Williams, Albert Park, 2022

Albon disqualified over fuel sample, will be allowed to start race

2022 Australian Grand Prix

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Alexander Albon has been disqualified from the results of qualifying after the stewards ruled his car did not contain enough fuel for a test sample as required by the rules.

“After qualifying car 23 [Albon] had insufficient fuel to yield the required one litre sample,” the stewards noted. “Given this situation, car 23 is not in compliance with the requirements of Article 6.5 of the FIA Formula 1 Technical Regulations.

“According to Art. 6.5.2 competitors must ensure that a one litre sample of fuel may be taken from the car at any time. The procedure was followed however the one litre sample of fuel was unable to be taken.

“The stewards determine to apply the standard penalty for technical infringements. Therefore they took into account that it shall be no defence to claim that no performance advantage was obtained.”

The Williams driver originally qualified 16th and was due to start from 19th having been given a three-place grid penalty for a collision at the previous round. Following his disqualification the stewards confirmed he will be allowed to start the race.

“The stewards have received a request from Williams Racing to allow car 23 to start the race. The stewards therefore grant permission for car 23, Alex Albon to start the race.”

Albon will line up at the rear of the field with Lance Stroll, who failed to set a time during qualifying after colliding with the other Williams of Nicholas Latifi, but has also been granted permission to start.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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13 comments on “Albon disqualified over fuel sample, will be allowed to start race”

  1. Disqualified but allowed to start the race? Sounds silly to me. IMO they should have deleted his time and allow him to start from pitlane.

    1. @Plyschak What time? DSQ automatically invalidates all lap times, so indifferent.
      Nothing wrong nor unusual in starting following a QLF exclusion.

      1. If a car has not qualified it should not be on the grid. But let it be, decision done.

    2. Hamilton was disqualified in brazil and still could start, what are you talking about?

    3. Tommy Scragend
      9th April 2022, 18:07

      The phrase used to be “excluded from qualifying”. Then it’s down to the stewards’ discretion as to whether the driver can start the race. If the driver has proven that they can do a representative lap time, the stewards will give permission.

      When was the last time the steward denied permission for a driver who didn’t meet the 107% time (or didn’t set a time at all) to start the race?

  2. Why do the FIA allow flunkies often unaware of their surroundings and teams that can’t fill their cars competently to compete in a GP?

    Just send them home. Do better next time.

    1. @proesterchen If they disqualified every team who had ever made a silly mistake like underfueling then there would be no teams left on the grid. This particular error could also have been caused by an equipment failure.

      1. The teams are responsible to be legal at all times during the meeting.

        Williams should not be burdened by having to compete in a race while they’re still trying to figure out how to check the weight of their cars before sending them out on track.

        Shouldn’t take them long.

  3. Jonathan Parkin
    9th April 2022, 13:24

    Whenever a situation like this happens, I’m always thinking of Nick Heidfeld in Germany 2000 when he was excluded from the event not just qualifying because his fuel didn’t match the sample

  4. Does that mean Stroll, with his three-place so-called penalty, moves up a place?

    1. Probably, but it is only a sideways move, 20th to 19th.
      Probably the dirty side of the track too. A character building opportunity.

      1. Tommy Scragend
        9th April 2022, 18:09

        It’s not only a sideways move, it also moves him forwards. The grid is a consistent stagger these days, it’s not really in “rows” at all anymore.

        Also if Stroll is now in 19th he’ll be on the same side as pole. That’s the clean side, isn’t it? The left hand side of the track as you are driving it.

  5. As things look like, by mid season maybe half of the grid might be on penalties do to engine, MGU replacements, driver mistakes…

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