Williams in serious danger: No replacement car until Miami / Formula 1

The Australian GP was held with only 19 racing cars: Williams had eliminated the entry of Logan Sargeant. Reason: Alexander Albon’s crash in the first training session in Melbourne.

28-year-old Albon from London crashed his car into a wall during the first training session for the Australian traditional healer. It soon became clear: Fortunately, the driver was fine, but the carbon fiber living cell could not be repaired on site. Because the British had not brought a replacement chassis to Australia, the pilot had to watch. Williams decided against Logan Sargeant because Albon is the better driver, crash or not. Thai-Brit came eleventh.

Williams team boss James Vowles: “We had to protect our chances to score points, and we could have done that better when Alex Albon was in the car alone. We were very disappointed that Albon’s chassis damage meant we were only running one car. It is unacceptable in this Formula 1 that we did not have an alternative chassis. But this emphasizes that we were behind at work during the winter. And that also shows that we still have a lot of work to do when it comes to replacing Williams to better position himself for the future.

In Japan, Albon stays in Sargeant’s car from Australia, Logan receives a modified car from Alex, sent to Japan from the race car factory in Grove. Now it is clear: the Williams drivers have to be very careful until the Miami GP at the beginning of May, because the traditional racing team only has two emergency cars in Suzuka and later in Shanghai.

Logan Sargeant in Japan: “The renovation went better than expected. I think the car will feel completely normal.”

“Me and Alex have to go through this. We know we have to be careful, but on the other hand we can’t afford that in a very competitive midfield. You can’t get far in Formula 1 if you’re careful. We have to be confident enough to give everything on the slopes and hope that nothing will go wrong.”

Australien-GP, Albert Park Circuit

01. Carlos Sainz (E), Ferrari, 1:20:26.843 h
02. Charles Leclerc (MC), Ferrari, +2,366 sec
03. Lando Norris (GB), McLaren, +5.904
04. Oscar Piastri (AUS), McLaren, +35,770
05. Sergio Pérez (MEX), Red Bull Racing, +56,309
06. Lance Stroll (CDN), Aston Martin, +1:33,222
07. Yuki Tsunoda (J), Racing Bulls, +1:35,601
08. Fernando Alonso (E), Aston Martin, +1:40.992*
09. Nico Hülkenberg (D), Haas, +1:44.553
10. Kevin Magnussen (DK), Haas, +1 Lap
11. Alex Albon (T), Williams, +1
12. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS), Racing Bull, +1
13. Pierre Gasly (F), Alpine, +1
14. Valtteri Bottas (FIN), Sauber, +1
15. Guanyu Zhou (RCH), Sauber, +1
16. Esteban Ocon (F), Alpine, +1
outside
George Russell (GB), Mercedes, accident
Lewis Hamilton (GB), Mercedes, engine failure
Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing, Bremsdefekt

*20 second time penalty for braking in the fight with George Russell
Entry waived: Logan Sargeant (USA), Williams
(Alex Albon crash in free practice, no replacement chassis in Australia)

World Championship Standings (after 3 out of 24 Grands Prix)

the driver
01. Verstappen 51 points
02. Leclerc 47
03. Perez 46
04. Sainz 40
05. Plate 28
06. Norris 27
07. Russell 18
08. Alonso 16
09. Walk 9
10. Hamilton 8
11. Tsunoda 6
12. Oliver Bearman (GB) 6
13. Hulkenberg 3
14. Magnussen 1
15. Alboni 0
16. Zhou 0
17. Ricciardo 0
18. Okon 0
19. 0 gas
20. Bota 0
21. Sergeant 0

Builders Cup
01. Red Bull Racing 97 Punkte
02. Ferrari 93
03. McLaren 55
04. Mercedes 26
05. Aston Martin 25
06. Running Bull 6
07. Especially 4
08. Williams 0
09. Sauber 0
10. Alpine 0