Williams duo Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto take grid penalties for Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after gearbox changes

The Williams duo of Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto have both been hit with five-place grid drops for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after the team replaced gearbox components on both cars.

Rounding off what has been a tough few races for the Grove outfit, the two drivers have new gearbox cases and cassettes for the final round of 2024 – they are allocated five of these for each season.

Albon and Colapinto have recently suffered multiple damaging crashes, most notably in the tricky wet conditions in Brazil and during qualifying at the unforgiving Las Vegas street circuit, which have eaten into the team's budget for next year.

To ensure they can finish the season, Williams have given Albon his sixth allocation of gearbox components, with his Argentinian team mate taking his seventh.

Esteban Ocon of France and Alpine F1 and Franco Colapinto of Argentina and Williams crash at the start during the F1 Grand Prix of Qatar at Lusail International Circuit on December 01, 2024 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images) — Colapinto was unable to finish the opening lap in Qatar after Nico Hulkenberg collided with him and Esteban Ocon

In a document published by the stewards, it was confirmed that Williams breached Article 29.2 of the FIA Formula 1 Sporting Regulations, and the penalty will be applied to the next race each driver participates in.

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The Grove outfit specifically replaced not only the gearbox cases and cassettes, but also the driveline, gear change components and auxiliary components ahead of the season finale.

With the team seemingly settled in ninth in the constructors' standings, they can now focus on finishing the Grand Prix ahead of Carlos Sainz's arrival for the post-season test that is set to take place next week.