Albon To Take Over Sargeant's Car For Remainder Of Australian Grand Prix

Friday, 22 March 2024 at 10:59

Williams Racing just posted a statement on its social media stating that Alex Albon will take over Logan Sargeant's car for the rest of the weekend.

Williams drivers came into the weekend at the Albert Park Circuit with big hopes after their car showed pretty good potential during the most recent race in Saudi Arabia.

However, the team has been running with only one car ever since the point in Free Practice Session One when Alex Albon crashed his FW46.

The Thai driver had a big moment coming out of turn six and lost his car before turn seven, which resulted in a collision with two walls in turns seven and eight.

It wasn't clear whether Albon's car could be repaired, as William's team p rincipal admitted to the media that the team hadn't brought a third chassis to the weekend.

Read also

2024 Australian Grand Prix - Free Practice 2 Results & Summary

Just a few minutes ago, the British team released a statement in which James Vowles said it became clear that the damage to Albon's car could not be repaired. This means his team will go into the weekend with only one car.

"We are hugely disappointed that the damage sustained to the chassis has meant we need to withdraw it from the weekend."

"It's unacceptable in modern day Formula 1 not to have a spare chassis, but it is a reflection of how behind we were in the winter period and an illustration of why we need to go through significant change in order to get ourselves in a better position for the future."

However, it was already hinted that while we wouldn't see Albon's car for the remainder of the weekend, this didn't mean that we wouldn't see more of the Thai driver, as he could potentially replace Sargeant.

In fact, that is precisely what will happen, according to the statement put out by Williams. Vowles admitted he had to make a "very difficult decision."

"As a result, we have had some very difficult decisions to make this afternoon. While Logan should not have to suffer from a mistake that he did not make, every race counts when the midfield is tighter than ever, so we have made the call based on our best potential to score points this weekend."

Williams now showed they are clearly much more confident in Albon's potential to deliver the desired result than they are in Sargeant's.

Frankly, the stats from the most recent season speak against the American driver. Albon earned twenty-seven out of Williams's 28 points in the Championship, so statistically, this move makes sense for the British team. Vowles added:

"This decision was not made lightly, and we cannot thank Logan enough for his graceful acceptance, demonstrating his dedication to the team; he is a true team player.