MUST-SEE: Albon’s Q3 hopes in Baku blown by bizarre incident as Williams leave fan attached to car

Alexander Albon's hopes of reaching Q3 in Baku were dashed in bizarre fashion when Williams left a fan attached to his car during his final flying lap.

The Thai driver was on course to progress to the final phase of qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix when the incident occurred at Turn 15.

As Albon exited the corner, a fan that had been attached to the rear of his car came loose and became lodged under the FW44.

This caused Albon to lose control of the car and spin off into the gravel, ending his qualifying session.

Albon was understandably frustrated by the incident, which cost him a potential place in the top 10.

"It's just one of those things," he said. "The fan came loose and it got stuck under the car. It's just really unfortunate."

Williams have apologized for the incident and are investigating how it happened.

"We are very sorry for what happened today," said team principal Jost Capito. "We are investigating how the fan came loose and we will take steps to ensure that it does not happen again."

The incident is the latest in a series of setbacks for Williams this season. The team has yet to score a point in 2023 and is currently last in the constructors' championship.

Despite the disappointment of missing out on Q3, Albon is confident that he can still score points in the race.

"The car has been good all weekend," he said. "We just need to put it all together in the race."

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix takes place on Sunday, June 12.