F1 Sprint Race Miami: Alexander Albon penalised late after track limits confusion. Alexander Albon received a delayed penalty after Sprint Qualifying in Miami for track limits violations.

F1 Miami Sprint race: stewards slow to react as late grid penalty hits Alexander Albon

During last night, news emerged of a delayed penalty for Alexander Albon. According to the FIA statement, the Williams driver was investigated and his lap time set at the end of SQ1 was deleted for a track limits violation at turn 6. For this reason, that lap time and all subsequent references recorded during SQ2 were cancelled. Alexander Albon will therefore start from P19, a position determined by his first valid lap time recorded in SQ1.

This decision arrived far too late. The FIA, or more precisely the monitoring systems, appeared to have “fallen asleep” during SQ1. Normally, the sensors responsible for tracking limits operate automatically and in real time, but on this occasion they failed to perform their function correctly. This error ultimately denied Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls driver, the opportunity to take part in SQ2 and fight for a better qualifying position.

The FIA official statement

The updated starting grid for the Miami Sprint Race (start time 18:00 CET)