At the 2024 Australian Grand Prix, Logan Sargeant encountered a unique situation when he had to step out of his car to accommodate Alex Albon. With one car damaged beyond repair and the unavailability of a spare chassis, Sargeant became an unfortunate victim. In the latest development, F1 Journalist Will Buxton has revealed on Twitter (now X) that Sargeant will now be driving the repaired chassis in Japan.
Buxton revealed that Sargeant has confirmed the news himself. The American will be using the repaired chassis that was formerly used by Albon. Meanwhile, Albon will have the luxury of driving an undamaged chassis in Japan. As things stand, the claim is that the repair job on the chassis went better than expected, and there aren’t any issues Williams can foresee.
Sargeant confirms he won’t be driving his original car and will instead be using the repaired Williams chassis, formerly driven by Albon, for this weekend’s race. Doesn’t foresee any issues with that as fix went better than expected. No spare until Miami.
— Will Buxton (@wbuxtonofficial) April 4, 2024
Alex Albon had a horror start to the Australian GP weekend, with the Thai driver crashing out in FP1. His chassis was damaged beyond repair, meaning the car would be unable to run again. To make matters worse, Williams did not carry a spare chassis with them. This meant only Sargeant’s car would be available on the weekend. A curious decision meant Sargeant had to pay the ultimate price by having to make way for Albon to drive in his place.
Explaining the decision to put Albon in Sargeant’s car in Australia, James Vowles claimed that he had to use his best driver. He claimed that Albon has held the advantage over Sargeant every step of the way in 2024. He added the Thai driver was their best shot at scoring points. Hence, “you have to put your best statistical chance of scoring a point in.” Ironically, Albon finished in P11, just outside the points.
Fans demand more respect for Logan Sargeant
While fans looked at the antics of the Australian Grand Prix as injustice for Sargeant, the latest development sees them take it as straight disrespect of the driver. People flocked to X to showcase their dissatisfaction with the move, calling out the ‘disgrace’ from the team.
This seems like continued disrespect on Williams’s part. Feel bad for the kid
— Tony (@RUBICON41) April 4, 2024
JUSTICE FOR LOGAN SARGEANT https://t.co/eKI87IIKnf pic.twitter.com/qn3oSkFzTN
— ayla (@tmlsurvivor) April 4, 2024
One fan pointed out how Williams were losing their lovable image.
Williams have managed to completely undo their unanimous status of loveable underdogs in the span of 2 weeks. Impressive stuff.
— Daniel Valente ️ (@F1GuyDan) April 4, 2024
Another called out Williams for their treatment of Sargeant.
The way Williams is treating Logan Sargeant for something that isn’t his fault is unacceptable.
How can he be subjected to this kind of treatment from Williams for a chassis that was destroyed by Alex Albon? That’s unfair, regardless he’s fastest or slowest driver in the team.
— ً (@tsimiks) April 4, 2024
Several more fans came in support of the 23-year-old.
logan sargeant deserves better‼️‼️ https://t.co/ZC1SjPUy9G
— lucia (@cosmicvnus) April 4, 2024
Come on. Australia decision was understandable but this is totally disrespectful
— Mert Can (@HonestF1er) April 4, 2024
With no spare chassis available until Miami, it looks likely that the injustice with Sargeant might continue. Despite having a poor season in 2023, the American deserves much better treatment than what he is currently getting. Furthermore, the continued disrespect of the 23-year-old may not sit well with the American sponsors of the team. It could lead to added financial woes for Williams, who are in dire need of more money.
