Alex Albon stays calm after Williams' airbox fan blunder in Baku, Azerbaijan GP

Albon maintains composure after Williams' pit mishap in Baku.

Baku, Azerbaijan -- Formula 1 drivers are accustomed to discarding visor tear-offs during races, but Alex Albon took it up a notch during Saturday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying when he flung an airbox cooling fan from his cockpit.

Williams, a team with a storied past but currently struggling at the back of the grid, sent the Thai driver out for a final flying lap with the bright yellow fan still lodged in the air intake behind his helmet. Albon, who was positioned 10th on the grid and trailing rookie teammate Franco Colapinto in 9th, faced the mishap as the session neared its end on the Baku street circuit.

"Obviously we left a fan on the car, so, frustrating," Albon remarked. "Better to happen in Q3 [the top 10 shootout], than Q1 and Q2, but, yeah, that's honestly all. It was a bit of a mistake."

Stopping his car after the pit lane exit, Albon reached behind to remove the equipment and tossed it over the side as a marshal observed without interference.

"There's a regulation around the marshals who can't touch the car," Albon explained, anticipating a visit to the stewards due to an unsafe release summons. "I'm not sure about throwing a fan out of the car -- what's the regulation around that? I think on paper it's OK. A tear-off is legal, why not a fan?"

Albon continued, "We had a chat around it. We spoke around throwing the fan, making sure the marshal didn't touch me or the fan or the car and then try to get going again."

Stewards later fined Williams €5,000 ($5,538), noting that while discarding car parts for marshals to retrieve is "not normal," it allowed the session to proceed uninterrupted and was therefore the "least worst option."

Despite his efforts, Albon was unable to complete a final lap before the chequered flag by mere seconds but showed no animosity towards his team. The session marked the first time since 2022 that Albon had been outqualified by a teammate in a Grand Prix format.

Meanwhile, Argentine newcomer Franco Colapinto, who replaced the ousted American Logan Sargeant for the rest of the season, celebrated his accomplishment after a rocky start.

"I am very excited. It's an amazing moment, my first Q3 and I am very happy about it," Colapinto shared with reporters. "It's the moment every driver dreams of. I achieved it in my second beginning in F1, so I can't be any more happy."

Both Albon and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, who is set to join Williams next season, applauded Colapinto's performance.

"Bravo for Franco, bravo for Williams because they are showing good progress also, so encouraging for me," Sainz said.

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