Williams is in a race against time to repair the chassis damaged by Alex Albon during FP1 at the Australian GP. In now widely publicised F1 news, the British team were without a spare chassis in Melbourne. This meant only the FW46 car could continue during the weekend. James Vowles then made the controversial decision to sideline Logan Sargeant in favour of Albon.
JAMES VOWLES: “ENGINE MOUNTS COMPLETELY BENT”
The challenge for Williams to replace their chassis is complicated by logistics. Next week, Formula 1 will travel from Melbourne to Suzuka, where the Japanese GP will take place approximately six months earlier than the previous place on the calendar. Team principal James Vowles has taken stock of the situation.
The damaged chassis arrived at the Grove headquarters at 2 am on Monday and was immediately inspected. Initial assessments were far from ideal.
“The engine supports were completely bent. The front right corner, where the suspension fits, is torn: I could stick my finger in the frame at that point .”
WILLIAMS: PRESENCE OF TWO CARS GUARANTEED AT SUZUKA
The absence of a spare chassis had raised concerns about Williams’ situation. On Friday, Vowles called this episode “unacceptable.“ However, he also described the saga as proof of the team’s growth over winter. The episode occurred only a few days after the team principal’s statement admitting that Williams was making big changes to improve as an organisation.
Despite this, Vowles said he was optimistic about having two cars available for the Japanese GP:
“We are in a good position to have the chassis in place quite early for Suzuka. So we will have two cars there without too many problems.”
Obviously, this means there will be a further delay in having a third (spare) chassis available. This will force Albon and Sargeant to take extra care and avoid taking any damage.
HELMUT MARKO: “IT’S LOGICAL TO STOP SARGEANT FOR ALBON”
Logan Sargeant, the innocent victim of this situation, will return to action in Japan. Williams’ decision to sacrifice his weekend for Albon has caused a lot of discussion. From a sporting point of view, his withdrawal has raised many eyebrows.
For a team fighting for every point, however, Vowles felt it was the correct choice. Helmut Marko, someone who knows a lot about making such decisions, believes Williams’ choice is logical:
“It is incredibly difficult for the last five teams to finish in the points. Albon is the strongest driver, and a championship point can be worth 10 million dollars. From this point of view, it was a logical thing.”
Despite the retirements of Max Verstappen and the two Mercedes, Albon finished the Australian GP just outside the points, slowed down by significant graining problems.
