Alex Albon's Sao Paulo GP weekend came to a premature end in Sunday morning's rescheduled qualifying, following a heavy crash suffered by the Williams charger in Q3.
Albon was the final recipient of four red flags deployed during the rain-hit crash-strewn session, but the Anglo-Thai racer's impact with the barrier at Interlagos Turn 1 was also the heaviest of them all, wiping out the FW46's entire rear end.
The unfortunate mishap added to Williams' earlier woes in Q1 when Franco Colapinto also lost control in the treacherous conditions in the same sector.
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso also added to their team's workload ahead of Sunday's afternoon's race.
Reflecting on his fate, Albon suspected that his crash had been caused by a mechanical issue although he was not certain of its nature.
"I think we had an issue; I know we had an issue, we just need to go through it," he said.
“Immediately when I hit the brake pedal there was a beep in my ear which normally means there's a failure, rear locking and a big crash. So that's us out for the race unfortunately… so yeah."
Albon's hopes for a quick repair were dashed when he confirmed the damage to his car was too extensive to be resolved before this afternoon's Grand Prix.
“No, it won't be fixed,” he replied when asked if there was any chance of his car being ready.
The impact of Albon's crash goes beyond his personal race, hitting Williams at a crucial moment in their constructors' battle for eighth place.
With Alpine just one point behind in ninth, Williams will face an uphill struggle without Albon's grid presence.
As for Colapinto, the young Argentine sensation was unable to offer a clear explanation for his Q1 crash.
"I don't quite know what happened," he told ESPN . "I had some wheelspin and nothing... unrecoverable. It's very sad. Sorry to the team. They have a lot of work to do.
"I don't know if they're going to make it to the race. It's a pity. Let's see if we can do something for later. It was 100% my mistake.
“Let's see if we can make it to the start, which is what I want most. Now we have to work and try to start the race. It's a small mistake that shouldn't have happened.”
Williams team boss James Vowles confirmed that Colapinto's car will make it to the grid in time.
“It’s a heartbreaking day for the team," admitted Vowles. "We’re here to go racing and nobody wants to be in this situation. The most important point is that all the drivers who had incidents in Qualifying are okay, including Alex and Franco.
"Despite the best efforts of our hard-working, talented and resilient team, there simply was not enough time to repair Alex’s car in time for the Grand Prix.
"It’s a bitter pill to swallow at the end of a tough triple-header, especially when both drivers showed tremendous pace this morning. We will focus on maximising this afternoon with Franco and putting on a show for the incredible fans here in Brazil.”
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