Williams continues to face scrutiny over its questionable preparation levels for the 2024 Formula 1 season.
During a practice session in Melbourne, Alex Albon experienced a severe crash that significantly damaged his chassis. Subsequently, he was assigned to use the car of his teammate, Logan Sargeant, for the weekend's duration, which sparked outrage among fans and left F1 aficionados bewildered.
Former Haas team principal Gunther Steiner commented to Servus TV, "I would have made the same decision. You just have to look at the statistics - Alex did a very good job for them last year. The team is always the focus. But if I was Logan Sargeant, I would be asking why there is no replacement chassis. I find that amazing. I have never heard that there is no replacement chassis at the third race of the season."
James Vowles, the team leader for Williams who previously worked with the championship-winning team Mercedes, explained to the media in Melbourne that the team was caught off-guard during its transition to the most advanced standards in F1. "This year's car has almost ten times more parts than last year's," he disclosed.
Disturbingly, Williams will still not have a spare chassis ready for the Suzuka race in two weeks, leaving the team in a rush to fix Albon's severely damaged car instead.
"I'm sure we'll have two cars in Japan," Vowles mentioned, "but I can't guarantee this 100 percent. It all depends on the analysis of the damage at the factory, but the probability is very high."
Sargeant might, therefore, miss another grand prix. "That of course sucks for Logan," Max Verstappen, a three-time world champion, told the De Telegraaf newspaper in Melbourne.
"I understand the team making that decision from the performance aspect," added the Red Bull driver. "But it's not nice. I wouldn't have given up my car in such a case. Certainly not in my position. Then I would have been on the plane by now," Verstappen said with a smile. "And first I would destroy my own car so no one could drive it anymore. Luckily in my position I don't have to worry about something like that happening to me."
It's an uncomfortable position for Albon as well, who had to compete in his teammate's vehicle. "No one wants to race in a teammate's car, and I don't either," Albon stated. "I've never been in a situation like this before and it's a strange feeling. I just have to try to ignore the whole story as much as possible."
Vowles revealed that Sargeant handled the situation with "a lot more maturity than I would have at his age." In fact, the American returned to the garage on both Saturday and Sunday to observe Albon qualify and race in his car.
"His ethics are incredibly strong in that regard," Vowles admitted, acknowledging the difficulty in justifying the decision to Sargeant. "I told him the facts. He has improved, he is closer to Alex than before, but he is not quite at the level to be in front of Alex," said the team boss. "But I haven't changed my mind about Logan. I signed him and put all my support behind him because I believe in him."
