FIA Fines Alex Albon for… Teammate in Bahrain FP1…Read more
Williams driver Alex Albon has been handed a fine by the FIA following an incident during the first free practice session at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The stewards ruled that Albon unnecessarily impeded another car during FP1—and that car happened to be his own teammate’s.
In this case, the teammate wasn’t full-time driver Carlos Sainz, but rather rookie Luke Browning, who was stepping into the second Williams seat as part of the team’s fulfillment of the FIA’s new rookie participation rule. Browning, a Williams Academy prospect, impressed during the session, topping the timesheets among the six young drivers in action and outperforming peers in higher-ranked machinery like Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull.
Albon, however, was fined €7,500 for blocking Browning during the session. The incident was witnessed by Aston Martin reserve driver Felipe Drugovich, who reacted over team radio, saying, “Wowch! That was close.”
The FIA’s report explained that Albon was unaware of Browning’s approach, stating that due to the speed differential, the angle of the car, and the presence of another car Felipe Drugovich’s—he couldn’t see Browning in his mirrors. Meanwhile, a representative from Williams admitted that both engineers assigned to monitor track traffic were “distracted” and failed to alert Albon in time.
While the stewards acknowledged that Browning was on an out lap and not pushing for time, they noted the situation could have escalated due to the high-speed differential. This mitigation was considered in determining the size of the fine.
This marks one of Albon’s rare missteps so far in the 2025 season. The Thai driver has been a standout performer, scoring 18 of Williams’ 19 total points across the first three races, consistently finishing inside the top ten. In contrast, Sainz has endured a rough start, collecting just one point earned in China after post-race disqualifications bumped him into the top 10.
Meanwhile, Racing Bulls have emerged as contenders for the midfield title, quietly overtaking Williams’ pre-season form. Isack Hadjar, in particular, has looked strong, finishing as the top Red Bull-affiliated driver in FP2 on Friday.
