Boss retracts Albon's team orders dismissal.

      "That message was unclear in its execution."

      James Vowles has taken a step back after suggesting that Alex Albon disobeyed team orders in Miami. During the race, Albon was instructed to stay behind his Williams teammate Carlos Sainz but went ahead and overtook him instead. "You told me he’s been informed," Sainz responded over the radio. "I know," said race engineer Gaetan Jego. "Let’s be the bigger person, okay?" Despite that, Sainz continued to express his anger. "That’s not how I race, guys," the former Ferrari driver stated. "I don’t care. My confidence has taken a hit here regarding everything."

      At that moment, team principal Vowles intervened on the radio to reassure Sainz. "I agree with you," Vowles conveyed to Sainz. "We need proper engagement from him," presumably referring to Albon. However, a week later, Vowles is now clarifying that both drivers’ race engineers were informed that Albon was experiencing a cooling issue and needed clear air.

      "That message was unclear in its execution," Vowles explained. "It wasn’t even defined whether overtaking was allowed or not. The main objective was to cool the car in order to move forward. To Carlos, the message was communicated that 'Alex won’t attack you,' and to Alex, it was communicated that he should not overtake Carlos, yet his DRS was open, and he was effectively alongside Carlos as he completed the overtaking maneuver. So, this isn’t about Alex disobeying team orders; this is our responsibility as a team and organization to greatly improve our communication with the engineers and how promptly we communicate with the drivers," Vowles added. "What I can guarantee everyone is that this won’t happen again."

      Regarding Sainz’s concerning radio message indicating that he had "lost confidence" in the team, Vowles expressed that he completely understands the frustration. "I’d be disappointed if we didn’t have drivers feeling frustrated by track events," he remarked. "They’re dedicating their heart and soul to it, so in Carlos's case, he was there contesting for fifth place on merit. His passion is precisely why I want him in this team and in the car."