Williams was at serious risk of disqualification, but the FIA decided to forgive the team.
Hours of anxiety and anticipation for Williams, its fans, and those who picked the team in Fanta F1. The Grove-based team violated the FIA’s directive on wings, even facing the risk of being disqualified from the sessions.
Williams at Risk of Disqualification: What Happened
Yesterday, the British team was summoned by the stewards for failing to comply with the timing requirements set by technical directive TD034L. The key issue? The failure to submit the video files recorded by the car’s front and rear wireless cameras during the first free practice session of the Chinese Grand Prix.
According to FIA regulations, each team is required to provide these files within one hour after the session ends—an essential requirement to ensure compliance with Article 3.2.2 of the regulations and safety aspects defined in Article 3.15.16. However, Williams did not meet this deadline, thereby violating Article 1.6 and forcing the FIA to take official action.
But the FIA is Lenient: Williams’ Official Statement
Williams commented on the incident as follows: “We had concerns over the cameras not working in FP1, and as a result, were in dialogue with the FIA throughout the session. Following the session, the FIA and ourselves reviewed all procedures, and we can confirm that the failure to provide footage in the allotted time was down to a miscommunication. As a result, internal processes will be addressed to ensure this does not happen again.
For completeness, we provided all footage as requested in Melbourne with no issues and will continue to support the FIA by ensuring the timely submission of all required material.
We have no concerns over the legality of our wing. It is the same wing we ran in Melbourne, is fully compliant, and we did not have to make any adjustments following the issuance of the new technical directive. Yesterday’s issue was procedural, and we are confident that we will provide all future recordings without any problems.
We understand that, to ensure fair enforcement of technical regulations, the FIA has issued the resulting fine, and we thank them for the constructive discussions and measured handling of this matter.”*
Photo: Williams Racing