Logan Sargeant has to make way for Alex Albon for the remainder of the Australian GP weekend following FP2. Williams announced this after Albon crashed his car during FP1 on Friday. This comes as a heartbreak for the American driver who’s trying to find his footing in every race and to make things worse, Ryanair, one of the world’s largest airlines, rubbed salt in his wounds on social media.
The $33 billion airline based in Ireland is famous for its witty takes and savage remarks on social media. They keep a keen eye out on the world of sports, particularly F1. On their official X account, they posted a picture of a fake ticket, asking Sargeant to fly out of Melbourne to “somewhere”.
The caption of the post went, “Here’s a flight as you don’t have a car.” In the ticket, Sargeant was a priority passenger and his seat number was 2B. Also, the reference on the boarding pass stated ‘NOC4R’, which was a dig at him translating to No Car.
The post received mixed reactions from fans. Many loved Ryanair’s hilarious take on the situation, but many called them out for being insensitive. This is what led to them deleting the post after some time, but it is unlikely Ryanair will stop doing this. They don’t even spare their own passengers when it comes to responding to complaints on social media. As reported by The Independent, Ryanair told a passenger, “Adulting is hard” when the person complained about a serious issue.
Keeping the social media jokes aside, Williams are in for a tough weekend, at least morale-wise. Logan Sargeant, through no fault of his own, loses out on a Grand Prix participation. This was a decision many deemed disrespectful.
What made Williams field only one car in Melbourne?
In an unfortunate scenario, Williams will only field one car at the Australian GP. After Alex Albon crashed his FW46 at Albert Park, his chassis got damaged and the Grove-based outfit does not have a spare one with them. As a result, Williams had to choose just one driver who could take part for the rest of the weekend.
Sargeant ended up being the sidelined driver, as they felt Albon has a better chance of competing for the points. This decision did not sit well with many, as did the decision to not carry a spare chassis. The teams are usually prepared for a situation like this, especially in street circuits where crashes are not uncommon.
Last year in Las Vegas, Carlos Sainz suffered extensive damage to his chassis after he hit a manhole cover. However, they had an extra chassis, which is why they could field Sainz’s car despite the penalties he had to take.
James Vowles, Williams’ team principal called the situation unacceptable but admitted the grim reality of not being able to afford a spare chassis at this stage of the season.
