Dakar Rally News: Williams Seeks Answers After Revised Floor Fails FIA Scrutiny
In a surprising turn of events, the Williams Formula 1 team is seeking answers after its pre-event scans suggested its updated car’s revised floor complied with the regulations, only to have driver Alex Albon disqualified from his eighth-place grid position at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Team Principal Explains Discrepancy
According to the team principal, James Vowles, Williams had scanned the floor and the car multiple times, both at the factory and at the circuit, and the results had indicated that the floor was within the legal compliance. However, the FIA’s own measurements deemed the new floor to be outside the rules, leading to Albon’s disqualification.
Vowles explained that the team had been following the FIA’s procedures for several years and had not encountered any issues until now. He acknowledged that the team took full responsibility for the incident and promised to address the problem immediately.
“What we now need to do is understand how we could have been wrong in our own measurements, and what we need to change in terms of process,” Vowles said. “With immediate effect, there’s only one area of the car that we were not compliant with, and it’s an easy fix. But irrespective, the rule is the rule, and it’s black and white.”
Looking Ahead to the Race and Season
Despite the setback, Vowles expressed confidence in the car’s potential and the team’s ability to fight back in the race and the remaining nine events of the Dakar Rally season.
“We still have this race weekend, where I feel we have a strong enough car to be able to fight through the field. I’m excited by the prospects for today, because the car remains quick, and we have an opportunity in the race and beyond,” Vowles added.
The team’s focus now shifts to understanding the discrepancy between its own measurements and the FIA’s readings, as well as implementing process changes to ensure such issues do not occur again in the future. The Dakar Rally community will be watching closely as Williams looks to bounce back from this unexpected challenge.
🔗 Source