Alex Albon crashes out of Canadian GP FP1 after groundhog incident
Alex Albon crashed out of Canadian GP FP1 after swerving to avoid a groundhog, leaving Williams facing urgent repairs ahead of sprint qualifying
Alexander Albon, Williams
Photo by: CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP via Getty Images
Alex Albon crashed out of the only practice session ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix.
The Thai-British driver crashed into the wall at the exit of Turn 7 after being unable to avoid a groundhog on the track, Williams confirmed to Motorsport.com.
Albon was able to walk away from his wrecked Williams as the red flag was waved. It seems as though the majority of the damage sustained to the FW48 was to the right side and rear.
"We may not see a replay of the crash because there may have been a marmot involved and that Alex was trying to get out of the way of one of the local inhabitants," Sky Sports Formula 1 lead commentator David Croft said during the live broadcast.
Croft's colleague and pitlane reporter Ted Kravitz added: "The Williams engineers and mechanics are chatting with team principal James Vowles to work out what repairs are necessary on Albon's car.
"Albon is back in the garage, while the unsavoury job of cleaning his crash helmet has gone to his trainer, Patrick. There could not be a more unfortunate driver to hit a groundhog as his pets have their own Instagram page! You could not find more of an animal lover."
Prior to his crash, Albon had put in the ninth-fastest time during FP1. But as the Canadian Grand Prix weekend features the third sprint race of the season, the Williams driver will now miss crucial testing time ahead of sprint qualifying later today.
This comes after a difficult start to the 2026 season for Albon and the Williams team. Following delays with the FW48, the Grove outfit missed private testing in Barcelona at the end of January, arriving at pre-season testing in Bahrain already on the back foot.
After three difficult races in Australia, China and Japan, Williams celebrated a double-points finish at the Miami Grand Prix, where it introduced its first major upgrade package. Albon currently sits 17th in the drivers' standings with one point.
Photos from Canadian GP - Friday
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Canadian GP - Friday, in photos
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