F1 star Alex Albon ruled out of qualifying at Canadian Grand Prix after hitting animal

Alex Albon, Williams, Saudi Arabia, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

Canadian Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying

F1 star ruled out of qualifying at Canadian Grand Prix after hitting animal

Disaster for Alex Albon (and the animal!)

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Friday 22 May 2026 22:51 Updated: 00:02

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Alex Albon has been ruled out of Friday's sprint qualifying session at the Canadian Grand Prix.

The British driver hit – in very close succession – a marmot and the outside wall of the track coming out of Turns 6 and 7, destroying the left-hand side of his car and the entirety of the marmot.

A Williams statement confirmed that their mechanics were unable to repair the damage in time. It read: "Following the incident in FP1 involving wildlife on track, Alex will not run in this afternoon’s Sprint qualifying session.

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"Despite the best efforts of the team to repair the car, the damage sustained was far more extensive than originally thought, requiring the gearbox and PU to be replaced. It’s unlucky for Alex, but we’ll look to take all the learnings from Carlos’ side of the garage to be as prepared as possible for tomorrow’s sessions."

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Double sprint quali KO

It wasn't just Albon unable to get out for sprint qualifying in Canada though, with Liam Lawson stuck in the Racing Bulls garage.

Lawson came to a stop during morning practice on track, with his team unable to fix the car in time for the afternoon session.

A team statement read: "Liam's car won't be ready in time for sprint quauli, this afternoon, following a hydraulic leak during FP1. The team are working hard on the car to prepare for the sprint race tomorrow."

To add salt to the wounds, Racing Bulls were fined €30,000 (€20,000 of which is suspended for 12 months) by the FIA stewards due to the track marshals being unable to use the Clutch Disengagement System (CDS) on Lawson's car trackside following an investigation.

F1 Williams Canadian Grand Prix Alex Albon