Williams team principal James Vowles admitted the budget outfit shares responsibility for the late‑race clash between Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz at Zandvoort, where both drivers lost the points‑scoring positions.
Collision Overview
During the chaotic final laps of the Dutch Grand Prix, the two Williams cars bunched up outside the points and both Sr. GOP<|reserved_200201|>S’s collisions at the turn‑one floor, forcing Albon to retire and leaving Sainz in 16th place.
Decision from the Pitwall
The Vowles team explained that keeping Sainz on worn tyres through the virtual safety‑car had been chosen to avoid putting him behind Albon and Franco if the three‑large punctured stops had occurred. However, this choice eliminated the pace needed for an overtaking showdown and set the stage for an incident.
Driver Justice
Following the crash, Sainz was handed a 10‑second penalty, an outcome he described as “fair”. He added that heavy hard compound usage had left his car vulnerable once the bump at Turn 1 forced a braking attempt that locked the front tyres and pushed him into Albon.
Albon’s retirement left the collision to become the headline of the race’s post‑event comments, with Williams accepting partial accountability for having placed the cars in a fight for nothing.
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