F1 star casts verdict on Zandvoort return after Dutch GP disqualification

Williams F1 star Alex Albon appears cautious over his return to Zandvoort this weekend after being handed a disqualification verdict at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Last year, Albon qualified in eighth ahead of Sunday's main event, but was disqualified from the qualification session after his floor body failed technical checks.

That FIA ruling then saw Albon start the 2024 Dutch GP from the back of the grid, alongside team-mate at the time, Logan Sargeant.

But one year on from his unfortunate disqualification, the 29-year-old has delivered his verdict over how he thinks he will fare at the track in 2025, remaining cautious over his approach.

In Thursday’s FIA press conference ahead of this weekend’s Dutch GP, Albon said: "It's an interesting track for us. It's a bit of a bogey track because it doesn’t necessarily suit our car, but every year we come here, it seems to go okay. Still in question why that is. I think the wind here is generally from one place, and that one place is quite beneficial for our car. There’s always weather changing around here, and we tend to do well in races where there’s wet-slicks, transitional kind of conditions. So that helps."

"I do also think this is a bit of a confidence track. The more laps you do around here – it’s so narrow – and we’ve just come after the summer break, so there’s a bit of rust in there. But if you can get up to speed and into the rhythm of the circuit early, you can have a good weekend."

Williams fighting back in 2025

A lot has changed for Albon and James Vowles' F1 squad in a year, with the British-Thai racer now driving alongside former Ferrari star Carlos Sainz at the Grove-based outfit.

Vowles worked tirelessly to sign the Spaniard for the 2025 campaign and beyond, with the Williams team principal set on returning the team to its former F1 glory.

In qualifying for the 2025 event at Zandvoort however, Albon certainly appeared rusty, only managing to finish the competitive session P15 after being ruled out in Q2.

Sainz made it into Q3 after qualifying in P9, but both drivers will be hoping to finish in the points without any disqualification verdicts being throw their way in 2025, as they look to strengthen their position of P5 in the constructors' standings.

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