A tight qualifying session for the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix did not go as expected for Atlassian Williams Racing as both drivers, Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, fell below the elimination line in Q2, ending P12 and P13, respectively, on Saturday.
However, things were about to get worse before getting better for the British outfit. The rear wings on both cars failed DRS slot gap checks conducted by FIA officials during post-qualifying scrutineering, resulting in the team’s disqualification.
The FIA official document reads: “The DRS in the state of deployment exceeded the maximum limit of 85mm on both sides of the rear wing outer area.”
In a Team Statement, James Vowles, Williams Team Principal, remarked: “This is bitterly disappointing for the team, and we are urgently investigating how this happened.
“At no point were we seeking a performance advantage, and the rear wings had passed our own checks earlier in the day, but there is only one measurement that matters, and we fully accept the FIA ruling.”
Then, the Grove-based squad submitted a permission request to allow both cars to start the race from the back of the grid, which the Stewards granted for Albon and Sainz as they had “satisfactory times in practice at this competition.”
“We have a car capable of scoring points here this weekend and will do everything we can to fight from the back of the grid tomorrow, and will immediately review our processes to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” added Vowles.
Earlier, Mercedes driver George Russell claimed his seventh career pole position, setting a new track record at Marina Bay, recording a lap time of 1:29.158s.
Four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen set a 1:29.340s time to lock up the front row with Red Bull Racing ahead of Sunday’s race.
Meanwhile, championship leader Oscar Piastri for McLaren (1:29.524s) and Andrea Kimi Antonelli (1:29.537) for Mercedes will start the Grand Prix side by side from the second row.
Mario Isola, Pirelli Director of Motorsport, assessed the tire strategy for tomorrow’s race: “We know how crucial qualifying is on this circuit, as seen from the fact that in the fifteen races held here so far, the winner has started from the front row on all but three occasions.
“Tomorrow we will most likely see a one-stop race, although the increase in pit-lane speed, from 60 to 80 km/h, makes a two-stop slightly more appealing, especially if there is to be a safety car or the opening of a clean-air window during the race,” he asserted.
“Everyone has one set of Mediums and one of Hards, but the Soft could also play a role, either at the start or at the end of the race.”