Lewis Hamilton has been cleared by stewards following a tense moment in Free Practice 2 at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where he was accused of impeding Williams driver Alexander Albon.
The incident occurred at Turn 17, where Albon had to take evasive action to avoid Hamilton’s slow-moving Ferrari. On the team radio, Albon initially called the move “dangerous,” and the stewards swiftly summoned both drivers for a post-session review.
After reviewing telemetry, video footage, and hearing from both teams, the FIA stewards acknowledged that Hamilton had “unnecessarily impeded” Albon — but crucially, they found no grounds for a penalty.
Their verdict explained:
“Unless the impeding during free practice was such that it could be regarded as dangerous, there will be no penalty. Albon felt he had the car under control and, on reflection, did not consider the situation dangerous.”
Though startled in the moment, Albon later admitted he had seen Hamilton ahead before the corner and just didn’t expect him to be in that position at Turn 17. His quick reaction at the time may have exaggerated the severity of the situation.
Williams team boss James Vowles offered insight into the challenge of Jeddah’s layout:
“From Turn 5 to Turn 8, it’s blind. Drivers are fully committed, so lifting off is all they can do — you can’t brake. It wasn’t intentional from Ferrari, but we’ve got to be sharper to avoid a real incident.”
In terms of times, Albon ended FP2 in a solid P10, while Hamilton had a more subdued session, finishing 13th. Carlos Sainz, now at Williams, impressed with a P5 showing — making it a promising start for the Grove outfit.
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