Albon to take over Sargeant’s car after FP1 crash

Williams have announced that Alex Albon will be taking over the car of his teammate Logan Sargeant for the remainder of the 2024 Australian Grand Prix weekend, following his crash in Free Practice 1.

Towards the end of FP1, Albon lost control of his Williams FW46 at the exit of Turn 6 at Albert Park, running over the kerbs and then spinning out into the wall on the other side of the track.

Luckily Albon was unharmed but he was forced to sit out of Free Practice 2 as Williams confirmed they have no third chassis available this weekend so they had to assess the damage to the car.

With that damage to have been too significant to continue using the chassis, the team made the call for Albon to take over the car of teammate Sargeant.
The Thai driver, last season claimed 27 of the team’s 28 points helped the team to finish P7 in the constructors’ championship.

For Logan, he will now sit on the sidelines for the rest of the weekend, as Albon jumps into the American’s chassis from Free Practice 3 onwards.

Due to the extensive damage sustained, [Williams are] forced to withdraw the chassis for the remainder of the Grand Prix. This chassis will be returned to the team’s HQ at Grove for repair. Due to the fact that a third chassis is unavailable, the team can confirm it has taken the decision for Alex to compete for the remainder of the weekend in the chassis that Logan Sargeant drove in FP1 and FP2.

Statement from Williams.

We are hugely disappointed that the damage sustained to the chassis has meant we need to withdraw it from the weekend. 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, Team Principal on the news.

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.

Albon on the news.