Williams Hit with €10,000 in Fines After Barcelona Grid Infringements
Williams were handed two separate €5,000 fines by FIA stewards following the June 14 Barcelona Grand Prix. Both Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz were found to have breached Article B5.5.5 of the F1 regulations, which requires all personnel and equipment to leave the grid before the 15-second signal. Neither fine affected the race result.
What happened on the Barcelona grid
Williams were handed a pair of €5,000 fines for operational errors: Albon's car "started the formation lap with parts of a tyre blanket still on the car," while "the team left a black plastic box on the grass area next to the grid" by Carlos Sainz's car, and thereby did not take all their equipment with them after the 15-second signal. [1]
According to the stewards' document, both Williams cars were alleged to have breached Article B5.5.5 of the F1 regulations, which mandates that all team personnel must leave the grid, along with any equipment, ahead of the 15-second signal. [2]
The two incidents in detail
For Albon, the problem was a tyre blanket that had not been entirely cleared from his car as it was lowered from the jacks; the stewards noted that "although the team tried to remove the parts before the start of the formation lap, these attempts were unsuccessful and car left with a cable still hanging off the car." [2]
For Sainz, officials noted that "the team left a black plastic box on the grass area next to the grid and thereby did not take all of their equipment with them after the 15-second signal," with both breaches carrying €5,000 fines for a total of €10,000. [2]
Context: a difficult weekend for Williams
Both Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz had been flagged for start infringements ahead of the 66-lap race at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with officials reviewing the incidents after Lewis Hamilton claimed victory. [2] The financial penalties did not alter either driver's race classification.
:::analysis The double fine underlines how tightly regulated the pre-formation-lap window is under current F1 sporting rules. A tyre blanket snagging under a car as it is released from jacks is a straightforward mechanical misfortune, but the regulation draws no distinction between equipment left through error and equipment left through negligence. For a team already managing a difficult competitive spell, the €10,000 total is modest in monetary terms but adds procedural scrutiny at a moment when operational precision matters most heading into the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. :::
Related reading
[1]: The Race, "Colapinto loses two places to Barcelona GP penalty," https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/franco-colapinto-loses-two-places-f1-barcelona-gp-post-race-penalty/, accessed 2026-06-16. [2]: PlanetF1, "Williams penalised after double FIA investigation into Barcelona GP breach," https://www.planetf1.com/news/williams-faces-double-post-race-investigation-after-start-breach, accessed 2026-06-16.
- [1]Colapinto loses two places to Barcelona GP penalty (the-race). Accessed 2026-06-16.
- [2]Williams penalised after double FIA investigation into Barcelona GP breach (planetf1). Accessed 2026-06-16.
- [3]Williams penalised after double FIA investigation into Barcelona GP breach (planetf1). Accessed 2026-06-16.