“We Are on the Back Foot”: James Vowles Fears Major Setback After Alex Albon’s Heavy FP1 Crash in Mexico

Alex Albon never found his footing at the US GP which saw him finish way behind his teammate Franco Colapinto. His bid to get back into form in Mexico hasn’t had an upbeat start either. The Thai-British driver suffered a heavy crash into the barriers after a collision with Ferrari’s Oliver Bearman.

What came as relieving news were the visuals of Albon responding on the team radio and pulling himself out of the car. The high G-force shunt, however, kick-started the protocol which saw the medical car take him away to the track’s medical center. There is something else that is bothering James Vowles, though.

The Williams boss believes the heavy damage to the car has left the mechanics with a herculean task of putting it back together. What plays against them is the race against time before FP2 starts. After the conclusion of the first practice session, the mechanics will have exactly two hours to work on the car. Not giving Albon some time behind the wheel could be detrimental to his confidence.

Speaking during FP1, Vowles said, “The team in the garage will be working flat out for the next two hours, but if the chassis is fine we should be okay for FP2. We are on the back foot no doubt about it, we haven’t run the soft compound tire yet.”

Alex Albon crashes into Oliver Bearman!

Alex Albon on the radio:

“Idiot!”

#MexicoGP

pic.twitter.com/yBou3QwvTD

— Formula Scoop (@formulascoop) October 25, 2024

Vowles also gave his opinion on the crash, for which he blamed Bearman. He said the Ferrari driver should have never been in the position where he was. Vowles highlighted Albon couldn’t back off immediately, solely because of Bearman being so close to the apex. However, he sympathized with the Ferrari driver, finding him in the way that “no driver wants to be in”.

Courtesy of their earlier crashes, Williams has already found itself lagging in the development battle. Albon’s crash will further dent their ambition of introducing upgrades to the car and climb higher in the standings. Vowles certainly has a task cut out for himself not just for the Mexican GP but for the remaining season.