Alex Albon Summoned to Stewards Over Practice Start Incident in Chinese GP FP1
Williams driver Alex Albon has been summoned to the stewards following an alleged breach of the practice start procedure during the opening practice session of the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix weekend in Shanghai.
The incident occurred during the only practice session of the Sprint weekend at the Shanghai International Circuit, drawing the attention of race officials.
Practice Start Rule Change Introduced
A late update to the race director’s notes introduced a modification to the practice start procedure at the end of the session.
The revised instructions allow drivers who are still on track after the chequered flag to complete two additional laps. These laps are specifically intended for drivers to stop on the grid and perform practice starts.
The newly introduced Article 13.2.1 in the race director’s notes states that:
Drivers on track when the end-of-session signal is shown may complete two further laps solely for the purpose of stopping on the grid to perform practice starts.
This rule was introduced amid concerns that certain technical and procedural factors could create potentially unsafe conditions during race starts.
Safety Concerns Behind the Change
One issue involves the design of modern Formula 1 power units. Many require time to properly spool up their turbochargers and ensure the battery systems are in the correct state of charge before a start.
Another factor relates to drivers starting behind the timing line, which may provide a small advantage on the opening lap because the allowed energy deployment resets at that line.
Alleged Breach Under Investigation
Albon is being investigated for a possible violation of Article B4.2.2c, which governs practice starts on the grid.
The regulation clearly states that drivers must not perform a practice start if another car remains stationary ahead of them on the same side of the grid.
Officials believe Albon may have breached this rule during the post-session practice start phase.
Practice Session Performance
In the session itself, Albon finished 16th fastest, around 2.7 seconds slower than the benchmark set by George Russell.
His teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. had a difficult start to the session after sitting out the first half hour due to a data issue. However, he eventually returned to the track and finished 17th on the timesheets.
Stewards will now review the incident before deciding whether any penalty or further action is required.