Alex Albon was forced to jump out of his car in the Singapore pit lane after reporting his car was on fire.
The car came to a halt outside the Williams pit lane in the early stages of the opening practice session as he came to the end of his installation lap.
Smoke was seen billowing from the rear brakes of the Williams car as the mechanics battled to get it under control.
The car remained in the pit lane for several minutes while the mechanics attacked the blaze before it was pushed back into the garage.
Albon will not return to the track for the remainder of the session.
“Alex has experienced a rear brake hardware problem which we are investigating,” read a short Williams statement.
“He will not join the remainder of FP1 but we are confident we can resolve the issue for FP2.
Williams enters the Singapore race weekend on a high after achieving a podium finish with Carlos Sainz last time out in Baku.
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