Statement by James Vowles, Team Principal of Williams Racing

      The FIA technical inspection after qualifying found that both Williams cars did not comply with the technical regulations. On the FW47s of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz the movable elements of the rear wing opened wider than the maximum permitted 85 mm, and such violations unequivocally result in disqualification.

      James Vowles, team principal: “Following qualifying, during the FIA inspection the rear wings of both our cars failed the DRS opening-width check. As a result, Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz were disqualified.

      This is extremely disappointing for the whole team, and we are conducting an urgent investigation to establish how this could have happened.

      We were not trying to gain any performance advantage, and today the rear wings passed our own checks. However, only the FIA’s measurement results matter, and we fully accept the federation’s decision.

      This weekend our car is capable of fighting for points, so tomorrow we will do everything we can to make up for it starting from the back of the grid. We will also immediately review all our operating procedures to ensure this does not happen again.”