Williams Launches Investigation Following Double DNF in Austrian GP

Newsweek

9 hours ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
The Williams Racing Formula One team faced a huge setback in Austria after both cars were called back into the garage, ending the race for Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon.
The first incident took place with Sainz in the formation lap, when he struggled to get the car into gear in P19, bringing out the yellow flags. However, he eventually managed to get the car going and returned to the pit lane, only to find his rear brakes on fire.
The Williams crew was quick to put the fire out, but unfortunately, the incident ensured it was a DNS for Sainz at the Red Bull Ring. Things looked good for Albon, on the other hand, who capitalized on the crash between Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen on Turn 3 of the opening lap.
William's Spanish driver Carlos Sainz is seen in the pits during the Formula One Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring race track in Spielberg, Austria, on June 29, 2025.
William's Spanish driver Carlos Sainz is seen in the pits during the Formula One Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring race track in Spielberg, Austria, on June 29, 2025.
Joe Klamar / AFP/Getty Images
The contact between the two cars helped Albon cover several positions from P12 to P7, but an issue, similar to the one seen in Canada, prompted Williams to radio him back to the garage, ending his race. The Grove outfit revealed on X that it will need to investigate the issue with Albon's car before the British Grand Prix next weekend. It stated:
"A tough one to take in Austria with both cars retiring. Carlos had a rear brake issue and Alex had an issue that we need to investigate, forcing us to bring him back to the pits from a good points-scoring position.
"We will pick ourselves back up and look ahead to Silverstone next week."
A tough one to take in Austria with both cars retiring. Carlos had a rear brake issue and Alex had an issue that we need to investigate, forcing us to bring him back to the pits from a good points-scoring position.
We will pick ourselves back up and look ahead to Silverstone… pic.twitter.com/UMaip0ILD0 — Atlassian Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) June 29, 2025
Albon revealed his frustration in a statement, given that this was his third consecutive DNF. He said:
"A very frustrating and disappointing day.
"We had a great start; we were a bit fortunate as the waves parted for us, but we were in the right place at the right time, had a good car, executed a nice overtake on Pierre [Gasly] and were pulling away from the cars behind.
"Then we ran into this issue which looks similar to the one in Canada, but we need to review it. We've had three DNFs in a row and it's the same car as it was at the beginning of the year, so we need to investigate why it was more reliable then.
"It's possibly the temperatures that we're running at, but it is in the races that we are suffering. We can't afford for it to happen at Silverstone as that's a good track for us and we've missed out on points today, so we need to deep dive and find a solution."
Sainz added:
"Too many issues yesterday, too many issues today. This weekend I couldn't show the true pace that I know we had and that leaves me frustrated. However, it's time to stay focused and work even harder as a team to learn from this tricky period and bounce back.
"I'm fully confident that if we manage to execute clean weekends, better results will come soon. Up next is our home race at Silverstone, so let's keep pushing to make the most out of it!"