Alexander Albon’s 2025 F1 Spanish GP quickly descended into chaos, as the Williams driver endured a weekend of front wing damage, track limits penalties, and eventual retirement in what he described as a “messy race.”
Early damage sets the solemn tone
Albon’s troubles began moments after the lights went out. A slow getaway dropped him down the order before he became entangled in first-lap contact at Turn 1. The resulting damage to his front wing forced an early pit stop, effectively ending any hopes of points before the opening lap had even concluded.
“I don’t remember all of it to be honest, it was a bit of a messy race,” said Albon. “We had an issue with the clutch at the start so we fell back. We then had contact in Turn 1 which damaged the front wing.”
An underserved penalty?
As the 2025 F1 Spanish GP race unfolded, Albon found himself in a drawn-out fight with Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls. While the battle provided some entertainment, it also led to more drama. Contact between the two resulted in yet another broken front wing — Albon’s second of the day, and the team’s third.
“I think there was a Haas in fron that had to avoid a crash or collision or contact. Then with Liam, I do not think they had that much straight-line speed, the [Racing Bulls], so they were a little bit diving in to try and overtake us, which is fair enough,” said Albon.
However, the stewards took a dim view of Albon’s off-track manoeuvre during the fight, handing him a 10-second time penalty for leaving the circuit and gaining an advantage.
Albon did not agree with the stewards’ decision, insisting that the incident was born from an attempt to avoid contact rather than gain position.
“I do not think I deserved the penalty,” he said. “I had to avoid him to not crash because he dived in too late. And then on the second one, I tried to get out of the way, I knew he was going to try around the outside but I did not have the tyres really.”
Despite his efforts to continue, the accumulation of damage proved too severe. The team opted to retire the car shortly after the penalty, ending a race that had offered more trouble than opportunity.
A weekend to forget
From a clutch issue at the start to repeated front wing failures and a time penalty, the 2025 F1 Spanish GP weekend provided little for Albon or Williams to celebrate. As the paddock turns its attention to the Canadian GP, the Thai driver remains hopeful that Spain marked the low point of his season.
“But it is what it is, hopefully we will get it all out the way and get focused for Canada,” he concluded.
