BAKU, Sept 14 (Askume) – Formula One drivers have a habit of throwing visor-ripping objects out of their cars but on Saturday Williams’ Alex Albon took it a step further by throwing the airbox cooling fan out of the cockpit during qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The former champion, now last in the standings, sent Thiel out of the pits for the final lap with the bright yellow car still attached to the air intake on the back of his helmet.
In the closing moments of the race at the Baku Street Circuit, Albon was tenth on the grid, with his new team-mate Franco Colapinto ninth.
“Apparently we left a fan on the car, so that’s disappointing,” he said. “It’s better to have that happen in the third quarter (of a Big Ten game) than the first and second quarters, but yeah, honestly, that’s it. It was a small mistake.”
After exiting the pit lane, Albon stopped, reached back, somehow removed the device and carried it to the side of the car while marshals watched without intervening.
He said, “The bailiffs have a rule that they can’t touch cars.” After receiving a summons for unsecured release, he had to go meet the flight attendant.
“I’m not sure about throwing the fan out of the car – are there any rules? I think on paper it’s okay. It’s legal to break the fan, so why not just throw the fan away?
“We talked about it. We talked about throwing the fan off, making sure law enforcement didn’t touch me, the fan, or the car, and then try to move on.”
Albon didn’t make it onto the track in time to start the final lap before the chequered flag and missed out on the lead by a few seconds, but he showed no anger towards the team.
This is the first time since the 2022 season that veteran Albon has been outpaced by his teammate in a Grand Prix.
Argentine newbie Colapinto, who replaced American Logan Sargeant for the remainder of the season after crashing into a wall in training on Friday, said his result was a “dream come true”.
“I’m very excited. It’s an amazing moment, it’s my first third trimester and I’m very happy about it,” he told reporters.
“This is the moment every driver dreams of. I achieved it in my second start in F1, so I couldn’t be happier.”
Albon and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who will switch to Williams next season, praised Colapinto.
“Congratulations to Franco and congratulations to Williams because they have also shown good progress, which is very encouraging for me,” said Sainz.
