F1 team confirm just ONE car will race Australian Grand Prix

Australian GP, 2023, generic — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 team confirm just ONE car will race Australian Grand Prix

Williams have been forced into drastic action at Albert Park

Dan Ripley Global Editor

Professional F1 journalist and analyst

Friday 22 March 2024 11:34

Williams have confirmed that only one of their drivers will compete in this weekend's Australian Grand Prix following a catastrophic Friday for the team.

The Grove outfit were left knee deep in chaos after Alex Albon heavily damaged his car 20 minutes from the end of the first practice session, having crashed at high speed into a wall at the exit of turn six in Melbourne before skidding across the track and into the opposite barrier.

Albon was thankfully unhurt in the incident, and at the time while many thought the damage to his Williams would harm his chances of appearing in FP2, he was at least expected to return to the wheel on Saturday, following a day where Charles Leclerc was fastest for Ferrari ahead of Max Verstappen.

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However, reports soon sparked that Williams had been unable to bring a spare chassis to the event and with Albon's car so badly damaged there were talks of the team only being able to run with one car for the rest of the weekend.

Logan Sargeant will not compete in Australia

Alex Albon crashed his car in Australia practice

Sargeant ruled out of Australian Grand Prix

A few hours after the end of FP2, where Logan Sargeant was a solid 13th fastest for the team, the team confirmed that Albon's car was indeed too heavily damaged to be used for the rest of the weekend.

Worse still for Sargeant, with Albon being the lead driver for the team, he would take Sargeant's chassis for the rest of the weekend to compete - leaving his blameless team-mate out of the Australian Grand Prix that will now run with just 19 cars.

Team principal James Vowles was left deeply frustrated with the 'unacceptable' situation the team found themselves in.

“We are hugely disappointed that the damage sustained to the chassis has meant we need to withdraw it from the weekend,” he said in a Williams statement.

“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.

“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.

“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. This will prove a tough weekend for Williams, and this situation is not one that we will put ourselves in again.”

James Vowles was left frustrated by the situation

Albon praises 'team player' Sargeant

Albon added: "I have to be totally honest and say that no driver would want to give up his seat. I would never want anything like this to happen.

“Logan has always been a consummate professional and a team player from day one, and this won't be an easy one for him to take.

“At this point though, I cannot dwell on the situation and my only job now is to maximise our potential this weekend and work with the whole team to make sure we do the best job possible.”

Meanwhile, Sargeant, who has already had a rocky start to his career after an underwhelming first season, admitted the decision was a difficult one to take.

"This is the hardest moment I can remember in my career and it's absolutely not easy,” Sargeant added. “I am however completely here for the team and will continue to contribute in any way that I can this weekend to maximise what we can do."

Written by

Dan Ripley - Global Editor

I've been a massive F1 fan since the mid 1990s and continue to study the history of the sport long before that. As an experienced motor sport reporter covering F1, MotoGP and the LeMans 24 Hour race, being part of GPFans has allowed me to work with a diverse team with all sorts of different backgrounds in watching the sport and given me a greater appreciation of F1.

View full biography

Williams Australian Grand Prix Alex Albon Logan Sargeant Melbourne