Williams Formula 1 drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz are facing potential disqualification from the Singapore Grand Prix qualifying session. The pair finished 12th and 13th respectively, but race stewards are investigating a breach of technical regulations discovered in parc fermé after qualifying.
The issue concerns a discrepancy in the parameters for the movement of the movable horizontal element of the rear wing – the most crucial component of the DRS system. The maximum limit is 85mm, but both cars were found to have a larger opening when the horizontal element was raised.
Consequently, the DRS system on both cars would have allowed for higher speeds on the straights, as the gap between the movable and fixed upper horizontal sections of the rear wing exceeded 85 millimeters.
There is a precedent for such an infringement; both Haas cars were found to have committed a similar violation in Monaco last year, leading to their disqualification. If Sainz and Albon are penalized with exclusion, they will start from the back row of the grid tomorrow.