Sainz found a simple way to make peace with Albon after Zandvoort clash

In the same week that both drivers committed their futures to the British team for next season, the Dutch Grand Prix ended in heartbreak for both on Sunday, with Sainz deemed responsible for the collision between the two.

They came together with 66 laps completed after the Thai driver drew alongside his teammate on the approach to Turn 1. With Albon positioning his car on the outside, Sainz defended the inside and found himself braking over a particularly uneven section of the track. His car was unsettled by a large bump, taking load away from the front tyres at a crucial moment and causing them to lock heavily. Sainz was consequently unable to keep the car tight to the inside and drifted across the corner towards Albon.

Albon recognised that Sainz was struggling to slow the car and attempted to take avoiding action, straightening his own Williams rather than continuing around the outside. By then, however, the gap had disappeared and contact was unavoidable, sending both drivers across the Turn 1 run-off area.

Sainz escaped the incident with relatively limited consequences and was able to continue after visiting the pits, but Albon suffered substantial damage to the floor of his car. Williams eventually concluded that there was little to gain from keeping him on track and brought his race to an early end.

Speaking on The Fast and the Curious podcast, Albon played down any suggestion of lingering tension between himself and Sainz. The Williams driver revealed that the pair went for breakfast together on Monday, with Sainz offering to pay, and stressed that everything between them was completely fine.

Albon suggested the situation had been made out to be bigger than it really was, insisting there was nothing resembling the kind of feud previously seen between Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo. He also explained that he was determined not to fuel any controversy in his immediate post-race media appearances, despite sensing the excitement surrounding the possibility of tension between the two teammates.