Alex Albon consigned to second F1 pit lane start on painful Shanghai weekend

Alex Albon will again start from the pit lane at the Shanghai International Circuit, after Williams made changes to the suspension set-up of his FW48 for the second time at the Chinese Grand Prix.

The Thai driver had originally qualified P18, behind team-mate Carlos Sainz, with neither driver getting out of the SQ1 or Q1 amid a difficult start to the season for the Grove-based squad.

The circumstances of Albon's second pit lane start are identical to the previous day, with the same grid position — including compared to Sainz — and the same reason for breaking parc ferme rules.

The two-time podium finisher ended the sprint in P16. Neither Albon nor Sainz scored points in the opening round, either, with the car currently considerably overweight.

This has left the team on the back foot and struggling to hang on to F1's midfield. The expectation is that it will not return to the level of competitiveness that saw it clinch fifth place in last year's constructors' championship until much later into the campaign.

Check out the full adjusted starting grid for the F1 2026 Chinese Grand Prix [HERE].