Alexander Albon will take no further part in today’s running at the Albert Park circuit following his heavy crash in first practice.
His team confirmed he was uninjured in the crash. However the impact caused extensive damage to his FW46 which the team will “continue to assess.” Second practice begins at 5pm local time, two-and-a-half hours after the first session finished.Albon came to grief when he ran wide at the exit of the turn seven left-hander 40 minutes into the session. His car crossed the track as he tried to regain control and made heavy contact with the barrier on the right, damaging his suspension and leaving both wheels attached by only their tethers.
He managed to pitch the car into a slide before striking the barrier on the left-hand side, causing further damager to the car which also removed the front-right tyre. Albon apologised to the team on his radio before climbing out of his battered machine.
Albon was on his 12th lap of the day when he crashed. His best lap time up to that point left him eight tenths of a second off the pace.
His team mate Logan Sargeant covered 22 laps and will be the team’s only representative in second practice. Albon’s absence is a setback for the team in its preparations for the race and its development efforts, as they were running revised rear brake duct scoops and winglets during the session.
The crash was the second for Albon in consecutive sessions at the Melbourne track. He hit the barrier at turn six on the seventh lap of last year’s grand prix.
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