Williams gives Sargeant the repaired chassis that was damaged by Albon
With Williams forced to run only one car at the Australian GP after Alex Albon's crash, the team has repaired his damaged chassis for Logan Sargeant to race in Japan while awaiting a new spare tub for Miami.
Damage control at Melbourne
The Australian Grand Prix proved challenging for Williams as Alex Albon's FP1 shunt left the team without a spare chassis.
With no backup car available, Williams had to withdraw Logan Sargeant from Saturday's running to field Albon in the American's car, maximizing their points-scoring potential in the tight midfield battle.
Repaired chassis for Suzuka
Williams has managed to repair Albon's damaged monocoque in time for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.
Despite the time constraints, Sargeant will race in the repaired car this weekend to avoid the workload of refitting both chassis for a driver change.
"It's the repaired one,"
Sargeant confirmed.
"Just because the workload to switch the cars back over would just be far too much for the mechanics. But the chassis repair went better than expected."
Minimal weight gain
Notably, the repair process has only added 100 grams to the car's weight, a minimal impact.
Team principal James Vowles explained that the damage was confined to a suspension insert, with no crack in the tub, meaning drivers are unlikely to notice a difference between the two cars.
Spare Chassis expected for Miami
While Williams has successfully navigated the immediate crisis, the team does not expect to have a spare chassis ready until the Miami Grand Prix in early May, leaving them vulnerable to further incidents in the interim.
Driver mindset
Reflecting on the Melbourne crash, Sargeant admitted his initial concern was the team's lack of spare parts. However, he acknowledged the need to remain committed and confident on track, despite the potential risks.
"It's one of the hard parts that we've had to deal with through the start of this season - not having those big safety nets,"
Sargeant said.
"It's somewhere that as a team, we're really trying to develop to be better and get more on top of that early in the season."
Williams' resourcefulness in repairing the damaged chassis has allowed them to continue racing at Suzuka, but the team's focus remains on bolstering their spare parts inventory to mitigate future setbacks and maintain their competitive edge in the midfield battle.
Comments ()