This is a very embarrassing situation for Williams. After Alexander Albon’s big accident during the first free practice session for the Australian Grand Prix, the British team, unable to repair the car, decided to make him race without his teammate’s car. . Logan Sargeant will therefore not participate in the rest of the weekend. Explanations.
Thai Alexander Albon hit the wall violently 20 minutes from the end of free practice 1 in Melbourne. With a badly damaged chassis, the 27-year-old driver was unable to participate in the second session of the day.
“The hardest moment of my career”
Problem: the team’s mechanics are not able to repair it between now and the start of the Grand Prix this Sunday, scheduled for 5 a.m. French time. And Williams only came with two chassis, one for each driver, to the Albert Park circuit. “The engine is damaged, the gearbox is in two pieces, and the chassis is damaged. It’s the worst accident possible,” lamented Williams boss James Vowles. The British team finally decided to “retire” the chassis occupied by Alexander Albon.
But the Thai will still be able to continue driving for the rest of the Australian weekend. Williams made the decision to place her in the car of teammate Logan Sargeant. The American, very far from Albon’s performances last year (1 point against 27 in the drivers’ standings) but also at the start of the season, was forced to give up his seat. “It’s the hardest moment of my career,” conceded the American driver, who is in his second season in F1.
“Even if Logan (Sargeant) doesn’t have to suffer from a mistake he didn’t make, we have to maximize each race with a mid-grid as tight as this year. We made this decision based on the best chances for us to score points,” explained his boss at Williams.
“I never wanted this to happen,” Alexander Albon apologized. Logan has always been very professional and a team driver. This won’t be easy for him to accept. » His performance, in place of his teammate, from qualifying this Saturday, will be particularly scrutinized.
