The controversy that arose on the heels of McLaren’s double disqualification in Vegas drew a lot of attention to the technical regulations of F1, and Williams driver Alex Albon was the latest voice to cut through the noise. He highlighted concerns surrounding the “random” inspection of cars after Grand Prix events.
Alex Albon Claims F1 Should Be More Thorough With Post-Race Inspections
Albon spoke about the circumstances surrounding Vegas, particularly pointing out the race officials’ approach to scrutineering cars. He commented on how the inspectors “randomly” select cars to examine closely than the rest, opposing the method.
“We could run these things to the deck if we wanted to and have no legality issues, but then we’re all finding illegal performance,” he said, via Planet F1. “I think the main thing for me is, I don’t like that it’s random. I’d almost rather have 20 cars get checked every weekend, and then you’d have a fair game, but it’s that randomly selected version that’s a bit tricky.”
Alex Albon has questioned the FIA’s “random” post-race scrutineering, saying the only way to ensure a “fair game” is to check every car.https://t.co/w9TExxo3fN
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) November 28, 2025
He also took a step back to discuss how teams generally push the limits during every race; millimeters translate to 10ths of a second, and therefore translate to performance.
“We all have to factor in limits,” the Williams driver said in Qatar. “There’s a lot of lap time in these cars being a mil lower than wherever. But of course, everyone makes mistakes, and I get that bit.”
Albon detailed the kind of elements that teams factor into setups in order to extract the most out of their cars.
“You know, these cars are incredible now,” he continued. “We are setting ride heights down to what winds you get for the next day in the race. If you get a headwind into a main straight, it completely transforms your ride height for the weekend in terms of, obviously, a few more points up with a headwind puts the car a lot lower, and you get porpoising, and then you need to make adjustments to the porpoising as well and estimates.”
Setting up an F1 car resembles tending to the final touches of an oil painting — one line out of place and it all comes apart, just as McLaren experienced in Vegas.
Albon’s comments allude to a deeper conversation about the governing body’s view on fairness. How its approach to post-race inspections changes remains to be seen, as Vegas pointed out how serious those inspections could be — reaching the point of impacting an entire title race.