Williams Racing faced a significant setback during the Dutch Grand Prix qualifying when Alex Albon was disqualified due to a technical violation.
Team principal James Vowles explained that an error in the team's scanning process led to the misclassification of the car's floor, which was found to be wider than allowed by FIA regulations.
Vowles explained in a video :
“It's not the first time we've been scanned.
“We've obviously been following and complying to all of these procedures since they were brought into place several years ago, and haven't been found in excess until now.
“We use scanning techniques now rather than physical measuring techniques, because it's not just one point that you have to be aware of - its heights and widths all across some quite complex shapes.
“Before we came here, we have scanned the floor and the car multiple times. It happened back at the factory in isolation with the floor. It happened back at the factory on the car. It happened here on Thursday as well.
“We did demonstrate all of these results to the FIA, which indicate that our floor is within the legal compliance. But what matters is the adjudication of the FIA, their measurements and their systems, and that we entirely accept.”
The disqualification came as a surprise to Williams, as they had conducted multiple checks on the upgraded FW46 car, believing it met all compliance standards.
However, post-qualifying inspections by the FIA revealed the issue, resulting in Albon losing what would have been his best qualifying position of the season.
Vowles acknowledged that the team had relied on scanning techniques rather than physical measurements, which they believed were accurate.
“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.
“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.”
Despite their confidence, the FIA's calibrated scanner indicated otherwise. As a result, Albon will start the race from the back of the grid, just behind teammate Logan Sargeant.
While the team views the measurement error as an easy fix, they are committed to investigating how the mistake occurred to prevent future issues.
Vowles emphasized the importance of adhering to regulations and the need for a process change to ensure compliance moving forward.
“We cannot spend hours of work developing an update kit, and we cannot ask our drivers to put everything on the line in order to secure points-scoring positions, to then throw it away with not being completely there on every single boundary of the regulation.
“There's no one really accountable for that but ourselves. That's on our shoulders. No one else outside of that has any responsibility. We need to address and get on top of that with immediate effect.
Despite the disqualification, Vowles remains optimistic about the car's performance in the race, believing they have the capability to compete effectively.
“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.
“Then we have nine more races where we have to deliver time and time again with perfection in order to score points and fight our way up the championship.
“This isn't the standard I want us to hold ourselves to this weekend, but let's now make a process change to ensure that it doesn't happen again.”
With nine races left in the season, Williams is focused on delivering consistent results and improving their standings in the championship.
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