Williams sanctioned after FP1 incident, Sainz avoids heavy fine

The Williams team had a busy Friday in Bahrain with two separate incidents involving its drivers. On one hand, a 7,500-euro fine for a near-accident between Alex Albon and Luke Browning during free practice. On the other, Carlos Sainz narrowly avoiding a heavy penalty for a slip of the tongue during a press conference on Thursday.

Incident Albon-Browning: Poor Communication Proves Costly

The Williams team was financially penalized following an incident during the first free practice session at the Bahrain International Circuit. Alex Albon abruptly changed trajectory at the penultimate corner while Luke Browning, a reserve driver replacing Carlos Sainz for this session, was approaching at high speed behind him.

According to the commissioners’ report, Albon had not received any warning regarding the fast approach of his temporary teammate. The team acknowledged that the engineers responsible for monitoring the situation were both distracted and did not provide the necessary warning.

Summoned by the stewards, Albon was found in violation of article 37.5 of the sporting regulations. Despite mitigating circumstances — Browning was not on a flying lap but on an out lap — the stewards emphasized that the situation could have been very serious given the high speed differential.

Asked about the incident, Albon commented with a touch of humor: “It probably gave the rookie quite a scare.” He added: “A little communication issue. I didn’t hear him on the radio. It’s nobody’s fault. We were both in the middle of very busy testing programs, Luke too, and that’s the kind of situation that can happen. Fortunately, he managed to avoid me well, to be honest.”

Sainz escapes a fine for inappropriate language

In a parallel development, Carlos Sainz avoided a potential fine of 40,000 euros for using coarse language during the press conference the day before. The incident occurred while the Spaniard was discussing a previous sanction of 20,000 euros (half of which was suspended) received at the Japanese Grand Prix for being late to the national anthem. Sainz had justified this delay by a stomach issue that forced him to go to the bathroom. Frustrated by the situation, he stated: “I don’t know if I’ll get fined again for saying this, but **** happens. That’s how it is. Sometimes it goes that way.”

According to the new rules implemented by the FIA under the leadership of Mohammed Ben Sulayem, swearing in press conferences is severely penalized. A first offense results in a 40,000 euro fine, a second offense results in an 80,000 euro fine, and a third offense leads to a 120,000 euro fine accompanied by a one-month suspension and a deduction of championship points.

Fortunately for Sainz, an FIA spokesperson indicated that the driver had apologized and would compensate for this infraction in a manner yet to be determined, thus avoiding being referred to the stewards.