Grove team boss Jost Capito said that, even with medical clearance, the team will wait to see the driver's physical condition after the first free practice session at the Red Bull Ring and, only then, determine whether or not the Thai driver will participate. Plan B is already up his sleeve
After heavy crashes at the start of the British GP, both Guanyu Zhou and Alex Albon are physically fine. While the Chinese driver flipped over and ended up between the tire barrier and the turn 1 grandstand railing after Pierre Gasly touched George Russell - who, at high speed, hit the Alfa Romeo driver's car -, the Thai driver from Williams, who was in the starting position, crashed into the car.The Thai Williams driver, who was in the back of the pack, got involved in the crash after being touched by Sebastian Vettel, was left stranded on the track and was hit by Yuki Tsunoda and Esteban Ocon.
Soon after the collisions, Zhou and Albon were taken to Silverstone's medical center. There, the Alfa Romeo driver was promptly evaluated and given the 'okay' to be discharged. On the other hand, the Williams member was referred to Coventry Hospital for 'precautionary examinations', but was later on Sunday released from hospitalization.
In theory, the two are 100% available for the Formula One Austrian Grand Prix, which takes place this weekend. However, Williams is being cautious before confirming Albon's participation at the Red Bull Ring. According to the Grove-based team boss Jost Capito, the team will wait for the driver's feedback after the first free practice before making any kind of definitive resolution - and is already preparing a plan B in case the Thai driver does not meet ideal physical conditions.
"The first impact was very hard. Alex (Albon) complained of back pain, and in cases like this the doctors don't leave anything to chance. He spent some time in the hospital to check everything, but we are not immune to a bad surprise once in the car," revealed Capito, "Even if he has been released, we will be ready if the plan has to be changed and he doesn't feel well behind the wheel," he added.
Another consequence of Albon's accident is that Williams was unable to test the long-awaited updates to the FW44. For Austria, the Grove-based team is not sure how the car itself will arrive for the race.
"We still don't know if we will be able to equip both cars with all our new parts just a few days after this accident. The factory has made good progress with the production of the upgrades, but the accident destroyed many parts," Capito finished.
The 2022 Formula One season returns as early as the end of this week in Spielberg for the Austrian GP on July 8-10.