During the 2024 Australian GP weekend, Williams were in a position to run only one car after Alex Albon crashed his FW46 into the barriers during FP1. With no spare chassis and only Logan Sargeant’s car intact, the team decided to sideline the American driver and allow Albon to take part for the rest of the weekend instead. While the team caught a lot of flak on social media for this decision, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has now defended them by explaining how they could have gained up to $10 million if Albon managed to score a point.
The ex-racing driver told Speedweek (as quoted by Formulapassion), “Albon is clearly the strongest driver and a championship point can be worth up to ten million dollars. From this point of view, it was a logical decision.”
According to team principal James Vowles, his side did not have a spare chassis ready to allow Albon to jump into that instead. With only two cars at the track, out of which one was now not in a position to compete, the team had to decide who to let drive for the rest of the weekend.
Vowles and the team decided that Albon would be the best bet for scoring points during the 58-lap Grand Prix, and hence, asked Sargeant to vacate his seat. Sargeant himself termed it as “the hardest moment” he can remember in his career, as per Formula1.com.
That being said, he concluded that he was happy to hand the car over to Albon in a bid to maximize the team’s results on the track. In the end, though, Albon could only finish 11th, meaning he and the team did not score any points.
Are Williams heading to the Japanese GP without a spare chassis?
The root cause of Williams’ troubles during last weekend’s race was the fact that they did not have a spare chassis. James Vowles had later revealed on the team’s YouTube channel that a delay in fabricating components led to the team being behind schedule in terms of a third chassis.
Now, coming to the fourth Grand Prix of the season, Vowles has once again revealed that the team does not have a spare chassis ready and will travel to the Suzuka International Circuit with Sargeant’s original chassis and the repaired chassis of Alex Albon’s car.
This could be a huge problem for the team as the Suzuka International Circuit isn’t the best choice on the F1 calendar to go to without a spare or two in hand. The fast and twisty nature of the circuit along with its proximity to the barriers makes it difficult for drivers to avoid crashes and other sorts of incidents.
And Williams will not want to repeat their Australian GP nightmare, as the team are looking to build on last year’s momentum that helped them finish P7 in the Constructors’ Championship. With how the FW46 has performed so far, Williams might be able to replicate a similar level of performance. However, they cannot afford any more slip-ups on the way.
