Alex Albon has been relegated to P19 for the Sprint Race at the 2026 Miami GP after stewards ruled that he exceeded track limits during Sprint Qualifying. Although the Williams Racing driver initially advanced to SQ2 and secured a mid-pack position, officials later reviewed his SQ1 lap and imposed a decisive penalty. Consequently, this ruling reshaped the Sprint grid at the Miami International Autodrome.
Steward review alters Qualifying outcome
Following a detailed post-session review, the stewards concluded that Albon had breached track limits at Turn 6 during SQ1. As a result, they deleted his fastest lap from that segment. This decision proved critical because that very lap had enabled him to progress into SQ2.
The stewards explained the unusual timing and implications of their ruling in an official statement:
“During SQ1, Car 23 clearly exceeded track limits in Turn 6. However this was not reported to the Stewards until SQ2 had commenced.
“Car 23’s time recorded on the lap that track limits were exceeded was sufficient to place it in SQ2. Hence at the time the Stewards were informed that Car 23 had left the track and that its lap should have been potentially deleted, it was already on track in SQ2.
Consequences extend Into SQ2
Initially, Alex Albon had secured 14th place after progressing into SQ2. However, because Albon should not have advanced beyond SQ1, the stewards took further action. They removed all of his recorded times from SQ2, effectively nullifying his entire qualifying performance beyond the opening segment.
The statement clarified the reasoning behind this extended penalty:
“As this was an unusual situation, the Stewards have decided to settle the matter by exercising their authority under Article 11.7.1.a of the International Sporting Code by deleting the lap time of the lap in question in SQ1.
“As Car 23 should not have proceeded into SQ2, all lap times from SQ2 will consequently be deleted.”
This decision, however, comes too late for Liam Lawson, who missed out on a spot in SQ2 by less than a tenth of a second. The Racing Bulls’ driver had noticeably stayed in his car until just after the start of SQ2. Lawson is now expected to start the Sprint Race from P15 following Albon’s demotion.
