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.
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.