The Chinese weekend continues to turn into a nightmare for Alex Albon. The Williams driver will start once again from the pitlane after modifications were made to his car.
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Alex Albon will once again have to deal with a significant handicap at the start of the Chinese Grand Prix. The Williams driver will start from the pit lane at the Shanghai circuit, after his team decided to make modifications to the suspension of his FW48.
These technical changes were made while parc fermé conditions were in effect, which automatically requires the driver concerned to start from the pitlane. It is already the second time this weekend that Williams has taken this decision for Albon’s car.
The situation strongly recalls that of the previous day, during the Sprint race, where the Thai driver had already been forced to start from the pits for an identical reason.
Very difficult qualifying for Williams
The weekend had already started poorly for the British team. During qualifying, neither Albon nor his teammate Carlos Sainz managed to make it out of the first elimination phases.
Albon eventually set the 18ème time on the grid, finding himself just behind his Spanish teammate. A performance that reflects the current difficulties of the Grove-based team at the start of this season.
During the Sprint race held earlier in the weekend, Albon could do no better than a modest 16ème place, without ever really getting involved in the fight for points.
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One of the main difficulties encountered by Williams this season concerns the weight of its car. The FW48 is currently said to be significantly above the minimum authorized limit, which directly penalizes its performance.
This extra weight notably affects straight-line speed, tire management, and the overall efficiency of the car. In an extremely tight field, these few extra kilos can make a significant difference on the track. For now, the team is therefore struggling to compete with the other midfield teams.
A season that promises to be long
After a very encouraging previous year, during which Williams managed to secure fifth place in the constructors’ championship, the start of the 2026 F1 season is looking much more complicated.
Current performances suggest that the team will need time before returning to the level of competitiveness shown last year. The first major upgrades are not expected to arrive for several races.
In the meantime, Albon will have to try to limit the damage during the Chinese Grand Prix. Starting from the pitlane, the mission promises to be particularly delicate against an increasingly competitive field.
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