SINGAPORE (AP) — Less than two weeks on from its best Formula 1 finish in years, Williams saw both cars disqualified for a technical infringement in qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix on Saturday.

Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, Jr. qualified 12th and 13th but will now be dropped to the back of the grid for Sunday’s race.

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F1 technical delegate Jo Bauer reported that part of the rear wings of the two Williams cars “exceeded the maximum limit” allowed by the regulations during a check of the Drag Reduction System overtaking aid.

“This is bitterly disappointing for the team and we are urgently investigating how this happened,” team principal James Vowles said.

“At no point were we seeking a performance advantage and the rear wings had passed our own checks earlier in the day, but there is only one measurement that matters and we fully accept the FIA ruling.

“We have a car capable of scoring points here this weekend and will do everything we can to fight from the back of the grid tomorrow, and will immediately review our processes to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

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George Russell took pole position for Mercedes, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen second and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri third.

Sainz achieved Williams’ first podium finish in four years at the last race in Azerbaijan, where he finished third.

The team’s previous podium finish before that was in a rain-affected race in Belgium in 2021. Russell placed second thanks to his qualifying position after no green-flag racing was possible. Before that, Williams last had a top-three finish in a competitive race in 2017.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing