Williams driver Alex Albon started the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in 12th and also finished 12th, about a minute and a half behind the leader. But his speed was affected by the aftermath of a contact with Oscar Piastri’s McLaren shortly after take-off at the track’s second corner, which damaged the FW45’s front wing.
As a result, the aerodynamic kit on Elbon’s car worked less efficiently, and yet Alex finished just two and a half seconds behind Piastri and less than five seconds behind Yuki Tsunode, who closed out the top ten.
“There were three of us trying to get into turn two: there was another car to the right of Oscar’s McLaren, Bottas was driving there,” Albon said after the race. – That’s how it all happened. I don’t think anyone is to blame for this. I shifted all the way to the left, as far as space allowed. If I had gone a bit more to the left I would have hooked the guardrail on the inside of the track.
Most likely then my car’s front fender was damaged and the right end plate fell off, which was then felt throughout the race as the effectiveness of the aerodynamic body kit diminished somewhat. Outwardly everything looked like part of the wing had been bitten off by a dog and we need to analyze to what extent this affected the downforce.
Valtteri Bottas’ Alfa Romeo was also damaged in that incident and the Finn’s car was hit not only by Piastri’s McLaren, but also by Kevin Magnussen’s Haas, which crashed into it from behind.
“If several cars enter the corner at the same time, there is nothing you can do. In that incident, my Alfa Romeo had damaged a diffuser, which made it even more difficult for me to race,” said the Finn in the broadcast of TV channel Viaplay.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
