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.
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.
One fan pointed out how Williams were losing their lovable image.
Another called out Williams for their treatment of Sargeant.
Several more fans came in support of the 23-year-old.
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.
