The FIA has officially confirmed that Williams did not comply with the curfew during the first day of the Australian Grand Prix. Teams must indeed stop working at certain times to allow staff to rest. However, due to Alexander Albon’s accident and the decision to give him his teammate Con Logan Sargeant’s chassis, Williams’ staff was mobilized all night.
Last night, the Williams Racing team’s staff, involved in the car operation, were inside the circuit for twelve and a half hours (12.5) starting at 9:00 PM on March 22nd [editor’s note: local time], fifteen and a half hours (15.5) before the scheduled start time of the third free practice session (P3) and ending three (3) hours before the scheduled start time of P3 at 9:30 AM on March 23rd.
As stipulated by the regulations, although working during curfew is prohibited, teams have the possibility to break this rule twice without penalty. While we are only at the third Grand Prix and there are 21 more to go this season, Williams will have only one joker left.
« This was the first of the two (2) individual exceptions allowed for the Williams Racing team during the 2024 Formula One Championship season, and therefore, no action should be taken.
