Alex Albon demoted to the back of the grid for the Miami Sprint after exceeding track limits

A major setback for Alex Albon in Miami. Initially qualifying in the middle of the pack, the Williams driver was demoted to 19th place on the Sprint grid following a decision by the stewards regarding track limits.

Alex Albon had nevertheless managed to advance to SQ2 on Friday, securing 14th place at the end of Sprint qualifying. But after review, the stewards determined that the Thai driver had exceeded track limits at Turn 6 during his final lap in SQ1.

As a result, his best lap time in that first phase—a 1:30.988 that had allowed him to narrowly advance to SQ2—was disqualified. This decision has far-reaching consequences, as it also results in the disqualification of all his subsequent lap times in SQ2.

An Unusual Situation

In their report, the stewards specify that the infraction was only reported after the start of Q2, when Albon was already engaged in the next session.

“Car 23 clearly exceeded the track limits at Turn 6 in Q1, but this was not reported until after Q2 had begun,” the official document states. In this particular context, officials chose to apply an exceptional procedure.

“As this was an unusual situation, the stewards decided to delete the lap time in question from Q1. The car should not have participated in Q2, so all its times in that session are canceled.”

Lawson reinstated, Albon penalized

This decision directly alters the grid order. Albon, who had eliminated Liam Lawson by less than a tenth of a second in Q1, ultimately loses all benefit from his performance.

The Williams driver will therefore start from 19th position on the Sprint grid at the demanding Miami International Autodrome. It's a severe penalty that seriously complicates his weekend in a Sprint format where opportunities to move up the field are limited.