Williams Gives Alex Albon Logan Sargeant’s F1 Car for Australian GP

Some Formula One drama for the weekend: Near the end of the first free practice session at Albert Park, Alex Albon lost control of his Williams FW46 at the exit of turn 6 and hit the wall. Albon was unharmed but the car suffered extensive damage. Because Williams does not have a third chassis as a spare, the team made the decision to give Logan Sargeant’s car to Albon for the rest of the weekend. As a result, Sargeant will not race in the Australian GP.

F1 can be a grueling and harsh sport, especially if you are a number two driver on a team with a limited budget. Sargeant found that out today when he was forced out of a race weekend through no fault of his own. “This is the hardest moment I can remember in my career and it’s absolutely not easy,” Sargeant told the press.

Williams F1 Team Principal James Vowles called the lack of a spare chassis "unacceptable" in the context of the sport today, and an indicator of how far behind Williams sits in the F1 order, as Racer reports.

Before the crash in FP1 Albon put up the 12th quickest time with a 1:19.443 and Sargeant was 14th quickest with a 1:19.519. Williams has yet to score a point in this young F1 season, and the team clearly believes that Albon gives it the best chance of doing so. This decision means that Sargeant, the only American driver on the grid, must watch from the sidelines.

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