Williams' Alex Albon hit with grid-drop penalty following 2022 F1 Saudi Arabian GP collision

Moments before the final two laps, Alex Albon hit the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll in Turn 1 of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. He has reportedly been handed a three-place grid penalty for the upcoming Australian Grand Prix for causing the collision.

As reported by Autosport, the FIA stewards' document read:

“The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 23 (Alexander Albon), the driver of car 18 (Lance Stroll), team representatives and examined video evidence in relation to the collision.”

“Car 23 was attempting to overtake Car 18 on the inside by braking late. In executing the overtaking manoeuvre, Car 23 locked up and collided with Car 18 at the apex of the corner. We determined that Car 23 was wholly or predominantly to blame for the collision.”

Alex Albon, who on lap 48 of the race tried to make a bold move on the Aston Martin to move up to P11, drove right into the car's sidepod, causing the Canadian to spin at Turn 2. Stroll made it back on track and finished the race in the last position, while Albon was left out of the race altogether.

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"We had to go for it" - Alex Albon on collision with Lance Stroll

Alex Albon revealed in a post-race interview that he does not necessarily have regrets about the move he made on Stroll over the course of the race.

As reported by The Race, Albon commented on the incident, saying:

“We were trying to fight our way into the points at the end and I went for the move with Lance. He made a strong defence and unfortunately, we made contact. We had to retire due to the puncture, but the points were almost there, and we had to go for it.”

Both Williams cars did not finish the race and took home no points for the second race in a row. Aston Martin is also the only other team with zero points.

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Also Check Out: F1 Standings 2022