Williams Racing found themselves in a tough situation following Alex Albon’s FP1 crash at the Australian Grand Prix. The car sustained so much damage that the chassis was beyond repair and they didn’t have an extra one with them. As a result, they can field just one car and have chosen Albon to drive it instead of Logan Sargeant. This invited a lot of backlash because Sargeant was not at fault, but speaking to Sky Sports, team principal James Vowles explained why he made the call.
Vowles agreed that it was a fair reflection to question the decision of having Albon drive Sargeant’s car. He claimed that in modern F1, such practices harm the prospects of a driver, but it was a need of the hour for his team. Vowles said that he had to put his “best foot forward.” Given Albon has outperformed Sargeant every step of the way in 2023 and 2024 (so far), Williams had to put all their marbles in his bag.
“With just one car, I’ve got to put my best foot forward. Across this year, if I ignore last year, Alex [Albon] has had the leading edge over Logan [Sargeant] in every single event. And with just one car, you put your best statistical chance of scoring a point, in.”
While the decision may help Williams get on the scoreboard, it has not done wonders for them away from the track. Starting with Sargeant himself, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the driver developed hard feelings against his current employer.
Furthermore, given Sargeant’s American background and Williams’ American sponsors, the relationship between them might turn sour. For a team like Williams, who is in dire need of money, this would be catastrophic. Last but not least, fans aren’t supportive of the idea of a driver who didn’t make any mistakes to be penalized.
Fans not happy to see Alex Albon take over Logan Sargeant’s car
As soon as news broke of Albon replacing Sargeant for the race weekend, F1 fans took to social media to express their unhappiness with the decision. Some even referred to the decision as doing injustice to Sargeant.
Some fans showed support to Sargeant as they felt there was an absence of it from his team.
Meanwhile, one fan joked about another driver borrowing something from the American.
Vowles believes once the season is over, only a point or two will separate the teams battling in the lower middle order of the championship. As such, he had no choice but to field his best driver, even if it meant upsetting a large chunk of people. He hopes Albon will be able to do a good job and score Williams’ first points of the season in Australia.
