Albon: Rush to maximize Q3 chances led to airbox fan incident

Red Bull driver Alexander Albon says he was in too much of a rush to secure a place in the top-10 shootout that he forgot to remove his car's airbox fan cover after his final run in Q2 at the Spanish Grand Prix.

The incident happened as Albon was returning to the pits after completing his final lap in Q2. As he slowed down to enter the pit lane, the cover came loose and flew off the car, narrowly missing a McLaren mechanic who was standing nearby.

Albon said he was "very lucky" that the cover did not hit anyone and that he was "just trying to push a bit too hard" to secure a place in Q3.

"I was just trying to push a bit too hard to get into Q3 and I forgot to take the airbox cover off," Albon said. "It's a mistake that I shouldn't have made, but I'm just glad that it didn't hit anyone."

The incident did not affect Albon's qualifying performance, as he went on to secure a place in Q3 and eventually qualified in eighth place. However, it did earn him a reprimand from the stewards for a breach of the FIA's Sporting Regulations.

The stewards noted that Albon had failed to comply with Article 33.2 of the Sporting Regulations, which states that "the driver must ensure that the car is safe to drive before leaving the pit lane or starting a formation lap."

The stewards also noted that Albon had been "fortunate" that his airbox fan cover did not cause any damage or injury.

"The stewards take a dim view of any incident which could have endangered another person," the stewards said. "However, they recognize that this was an isolated incident and that Albon is a young driver who has learned from his mistake."