FP1 Chaos at Japan GP: Explaining the Albon-Perez Crash As Stewards Reach Conclusion
The 2026 Japanese Grand Prix weekend at the legendary Suzuka Circuit is officially underway, and the drama has already began. FP1 saw Cadillac’s Sergio Perez and Williams’ Alex Albon involved in a strange incident, where the two drivers came together at Turn 16. Here is a complete breakdown of what happened between the two drivers.
The FP1 Crash: What Exactly Happened Between Albon and Perez? The first practice session of the weekend was abruptly interrupted by a crash between Williams driver Alexander Albon and Sergio Perez at Turn 16. But it wasn’t obvious who was at fault for the messy shunt.
An official document from the FIA Stewards has cleared the air, revealing that Perez’s car had a tech failure. According to the Stewards’ decision, Perez was setting up for a race-run lap, while Albon was on an out lap but gaining speed through Turn 15. As they approached Turn 16, Albon dove to the inside to overtake.
The problem was that obviously Perez had absolutely no idea the Williams was there. During the hearing, Perez explained that his virtual mirror was malfunctioning and that his team failed to warn him over the radio about Albon’s position. The team admitted they assumed the Thai-British driver would simply hold his position behind Perez and completely underestimated how fast Car 23 was closing in.
From Albon’s perspective, Perez took a wide line entering Turn 16, which the Williams driver interpreted as an open invitation to pass. Because both drivers were caught entirely off guard by the closing speeds, and the crash was largely fueled by a lack of team communication, the Stewards officially ruled to take no further action against either driver.