Williams team’s history with fines is not surprising, but paying a hefty $80,000 fine for a loose wheel before a GP is unforgettable.
The Formula One 2013 season had so many good and bad memories, whether it was 4th title win for Sebastian Vettel or the last Indian GP that F1 fans saw. But one thing still bugs in that is the hefty $80,000 fine the Williams team had to pay for the loose wheel of Pastor Maldonado’s car.
The incident that led to this fine happened when Maldonado’s car hit the barrier during FP2 at Suzuka Circuit in 2013. The Venezuelan driver ran wide over the second curve.
During the initial car examination, FIA stewards revealed the reason behind the car, citing the wheel fastener not being properly fastened, which led to improper or incorrect contact with the first retaining plunger.
The steward also mentioned, ‘This is a serious safety issue. The team assured the Stewards that the appropriate measures would be immediately implemented to ensure compliance.”
Before the statement, Williams was fined for breaching Article 23.12 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations and Article 14.7 of the FIA Formula One Technical Regulations. The fine was a hefty amount of $80,000, which FIA considered necessary to punish the Williams F1 team.
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Williams fined 60,000 euros after Pastor Maldonado’s wheel came off during Practice at Suzuka…http://t.co/gnuHns3HXm #JapaneseGP #skyf1
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) October 11, 2013
Frustation for Pastor Maldonado
The Former F1 driver reacted to the incident with frustration and disappointment. He was open about his feelings about things that happened at the second practice session. Moreover, he also expressed how he had to do more work in FP3.
He said, “My FP1 session ended early after a problem with my left-rear tire, and at the beginning of FP2 I was struggling for grip and lost the back end of the car and went off the circuit which ended my running.”
Adding to his frustration, he said, “Tomorrow is another day though and FP3 will give us a chance to improve the set-up based on what we learnt today and get some low fuel running in to optimise our car for qualifying, which will be important as overtaking here can be difficult.”
When will Williams’ problems end?
Williams teams have been struggling for over a decade, which surprises no one. The inconsistency of their car performance for years has made them a stagnant F1 team.
No doubt, it is good to have a traditional team on the grid that fans love. The only concern they have is the degrading performance. The results of the current F1 season speak for themselves.
The team is financially struggling with fewer promoters on its side. It is hard to imagine a future with this team. However, fans only hope that Williams sorts out its issues and bring the performance back to its glory days.
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