Gasly and Albon opt for pitlane start in Singapore GP

Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon will both launch their Singapore Grand Prix from the pit lane after their teams made significant overnight modifications to their cars.

The decision means the starting grid will feature only 18 cars when the lights go out at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, one of Formula 1’s most physically demanding races.

Gasly’s weekend took a frustrating turn during Saturday’s qualifying session. The Alpine driver’s evening ended prematurely when a technical issue struck in the dying moments of Q1, forcing him to park up trackside and settle for 20th place.

His Alpine crew have since replaced multiple components on the A524, prompting the mandatory pit-lane start. It’s another setback for the Frenchman, who has endured a dry spell of four races without scoring points.

Still, Gasly will be eager to make the most of Singapore’s attritional nature, with the Marina Bay race known for its high rate of retirements and safety cars. His teammate, rookie Franco Colapinto, starts from 16th on the grid.

Albon joins Gasly at the end of the lane

Williams’ Alex Albon, who initially qualified 12th, was disqualified from the session – along with his teammate Carlos Sainz – after a technical infringement was found during scrutineering.

The Thai-British driver was initially cleared to start from the back of the grid but will now join Gasly in the pit lane following overnight adjustments to his FW47.

• Read also: Williams cars disqualified from Singapore GP qualifying!

For Albon, it’s a frustrating twist after a season of consistent points-scoring performances.

The Singapore circuit, with its tight corners and limited overtaking spots, will make recovery a challenge – but the Williams driver has already shown this year that he’s capable of pulling off strategic comebacks.

With Gasly and Albon both out of position, Sunday’s race could see strategy and safety cars play an outsized role. Their pit-lane starts hand small advantages to the midfield runners ahead, but also set up the potential for bold recovery drives – the kind that Singapore’s unpredictable race often rewards.

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