Albon keeps his cool after airbox fan blunder

BAKU : Formula One drivers are used to throwing visor tear-offs out of their cars but Williams' Alex Albon went a whole lot bigger when he tossed an airbox cooling fan from his cockpit during Saturday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying.

The former champions, now among the tail-enders, sent the Thai out of the pits for a final flying lap with the bright yellow contraption still plugging the air intake behind his helmet.

Albon was 10th on the grid, with rookie team mate Franco Colapinto ninth, as the session entered its final minutes on the Baku street circuit.

"Obviously we left a fan on the car, so, frustrating," he said. "Better to happen in Q3 (the top 10 shootout), than Q1 and Q2, but, yeah, that's honestly all. It was a bit of a mistake."

Albon stopped after the pit lane exit, reached behind him and managed to remove the piece of equipment and manhandle it over the side of the car as a marshal watched without getting involved.

"There's a regulation around the marshals who can't touch the car," he explained, with a visit to the stewards looming after a summons for unsafe release.

"I'm not sure about throwing a fan out of the car - what's the regulation around that? I think on paper it's OK. A tear-off is legal, why not a fan?

"We had a chat around it. We spoke around throwing the fan, making sure the marshal didn't touch me or the fan or the car and then try to get going again."

Albon was unable to get around the circuit in time to start a final lap before the chequered flag, missing out by seconds, but he showed no anger towards the team.

The session was the first time the experienced Albon had been outqualified by a team mate in a Grand Prix format since 2022.

Argentine newcomer Colapinto, who has replaced dropped American