Hamilton escapes penalty after impeding Albon in FP2

Lewis Hamilton avoided a penalty after an incident during the second free practice session of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where he impeded Alex Albon in a high-speed corner.

The Facts and the Investigation

During FP2 in Jeddah, Hamilton found himself on the path of Albon, who was approaching at high speed. The Williams driver had to maneuver to avoid the Ferrari.

The commissioners, after listening to both protagonists and analyzing the telemetry, videos, and radio communications, acknowledged that Hamilton had unnecessarily hindered Albon at turn 17. However, according to the rules established with the teams, this type of incident in free practice does not result in a penalty unless the situation is deemed dangerous.

Just after the avoided collision, Albon had nonetheless described the situation as dangerous on the radio. But in front of the stewards, he toned down his remarks, admitting he had exaggerated since he maintained control of his car and the incident did not warrant a penalty.

Reaction of the Williams boss

James Vowles, director of Williams, spoke before the stewards’ decision. He highlighted the particular configuration of certain sections of the Saudi circuit, especially between turns 4-5 up to turn 8, where drivers are driving blind and at full throttle.

In these conditions, a driver’s options are limited. Slowing down is possible, but certainly not braking. I am almost certain that the stewards will conduct a reasonable analysis. They know that Ferrari did not act intentionally, but they must show firmness to prevent an accident, he commented.

Hamilton’s struggles in testing

Beyond this incident, Lewis Hamilton had a complicated Friday in Jeddah. He finished the FP2 in 13th place, more than a second behind Lando Norris’s best time and eight-tenths behind his teammate Charles Leclerc, who finished fourth.

Facing the media after the session, the Briton acknowledged his difficulties: “It wasn’t great today. My main problem was getting the tires up to temperature. It’s not the team’s fault, we just struggled to get them into the right operating window,” he explained.

The Ferrari driver also mentioned issues with front-rear balance and a lack of consistency over a full lap: « We’re still looking for the right balance between the front and rear axles. For now, I’m still struggling to maintain consistent performance throughout the lap. »

He added that usually he loses positions on Saturday, but given his current ranking, there aren’t many places to lose, hoping that the team will find improvements before the qualifying.

Moderate ambitions for qualifications

Interviewed about his goals for the qualifiers, Hamilton was not very optimistic: “Hard to say. For now, I’m just trying to aim for a place in the top 10,” he said.

This season’s start at Ferrari remains difficult for the seven-time world champion, with only 25 points collected so far. Apart from his pole position and victory in the sprint race in China, his performances remain below expectations. In Saudi Arabia, a circuit where he has only secured one podium (a victory in 2021 against Verstappen), the task seems almost impossible.

Hamilton and his team worked through the night to try to improve the settings of his Ferrari and hope for a better day this Saturday during the qualifiers, which will be essential on this street circuit where overtaking is particularly difficult.