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Alex Albon has been issued a reprimand by the Chinese GP stewards, despite breaching a "serious" safety rule.

The Williams driver was called to see the panel after an alleged practice start infringement in Shanghai at the end of the sole practice session, with the Thai having completed a practice start with Kimi Antonelli ahead of him.

Article B4.2.2c of the sporting regulations dictates that drivers must not complete a practice start on the grid if there is a driver ahead of them, but Albon did so after "candidly" admitting that he had "misjudged" what Antonelli was going to do as he undertook the new practice start sequence for the 2026 cars.

Albon was caught by surprise by the time Antonelli took on the grid and performed a launch of his own, but upon realising his mistake, he quickly applied the brakes to stop, a claim which was clearly shown on the telemetry viewed by the stewards.

Owing to Albon taking steps to mitigate the situation as soon as he realised his mistake, and the fact that the 2026 cars require a new starting and launch sequence, the stewards decided to impose a reprimand on Albon, his first of the season.

Driver

Alexander Albon

Thai

Williams

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