Issues aren’t wanting good for American Components 1 driver Logan Sargeant. The Williams racer hasn’t scored factors in a race since selecting up his first level finally yr’s U.S. Grand Prix in Austin and topped the record of Components 1 crashes in his first yr. Now, Sargeant is being compelled to step apart and let his teammate race his automobile after an enormous crash throughout follow for the Australian Grand Prix.
Throughout the second follow session in Melbourne for the 2024 Australian Grand Prix, Williams F1 driver Alex Albon sustained an enormous crash that virtually wrote off his automobile. The Thai driver didn’t set a time within the session and inspections of his automobile following FP2 revealed that the chassis was so broken it wouldn’t be capable of run over the remainder of the weekend.
Normally on this situation, groups would have a spare chassis readily available to construct up forward of qualifying. Nonetheless, Williams crew boss James Vowles stated a spare unit was not accessible this weekend.
“It’s unacceptable in modern-day Components 1 to not have a spare chassis,” Vowels stated in an announcement shared by the crew. “However it’s a reflection of how behind we have been within the winter interval and an illustration of why we have to undergo important change with a view to get ourselves in a greater place for the longer term.”
Quite than telling Albon to take a seat out following his crash, Williams has made the choice to drag Sargeant out of his automobile and hand the metaphorical keys over the his crew mate. As such, the American racer will sit out the Australian Grand Prix whereas Albon can be free to race.
“That is the toughest second I can keep in mind in my profession and it’s completely not straightforward,” stated Sargeant. “I’m nonetheless utterly right here for the crew and can proceed to contribute in any approach that I can this weekend to maximise what we will do.”
The transfer exhibits precisely the place Williams places its religion within the crew. And there’s good purpose for his or her assist of Albon over Sargeant, because the Thai driver picked up 27 world championship factors in 2023 versus Sargeant one. On prime of that, follow one in Melbourne revealed the American was virtually a tenth of a second slower than Albon.
What’s extra, the American driver is estimated to have price Williams an eye-watering $4.33 million on account of harm sustained to his automobiles by way of 2023, stories Sports activities Illustrated.
This rocky begin to Sargeant’s sophomore yr in F1 comes as doubt swirls round Williams’ driver lineup in 2025. Whereas Albon has a contract with Williams till the tip of 2025, and the crew has made no secret of its want to maintain the Thai driver, Sargeant isn’t in the identical place. As a substitute, his contract with the crew runs out on the finish of this yr, and he has but to essentially show that he belongs to remain within the seat going ahead.