Sporting regulations

Image Source: IANS

F1: Williams Drivers Penalised Five-place Grid Penalty For Abu Dhabi GP

By IANS News December 06, 2024 • 18:04 PM View: 243

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Williams Racing’s Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto have both received five-place grid penalties for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix following the replacement of critical gearbox components in their cars. The decision, confirmed by the FIA stewards, marks a challenging conclusion to the 2024 season for the Grove-based team.

"The Williams duo of Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto have both been hit with five-place grid drops for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after the team replaced gearbox components on both cars," read the statement from Formula 1's official website.

In the lead-up to the final race of the season, Williams opted to replace the gearbox cases and cassettes, along with the driveline, gear change, and auxiliary components on both Albon’s and Colapinto’s cars. These changes brought their gearbox allocations to six for Albon and seven for Colapinto, exceeding the permitted five per season under Article 29.2 of the FIA Formula 1 Sporting Regulations.