‘Unacceptable’ drama as Logan Sargeant forced out of Australian GP

Williams have been slammed for an “embarrassing” and “unfair” decision after a young driver was brutally wiped from the Australian GP.

Williams driver Alex Albon will use teammate Logan Sargeant’s car for the rest of the Australian Grand Prix weekend.

Williams have sacrificed Logan Sargeant by dumping him out of the Australian GP after his teammate Alex Albon smashed up his own F1 car.

Ruthless bosses saw the London-born Thai racer have a high speed accident during practice in Melbourne.

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The impact with the barriers saw his Willliams smashed to pieces but without enough spare parts to repair the car overnight, they decided to retire his chassis from the race.

But in a big kick in the guts they decided to put the former Red Bull driver in Sargeant’s car instead, meaning the American will not get to drive.

The move casts doubt on Sargeant’s future in the team and he was understandably left furious.

The team released a press release with 23-year-old Sargeant quoted, although his mood is considered to be less sanguine.

It said: “This is the hardest moment I can remember in my career and it’s absolutely not easy.

“I am however completely here for the team and will continue to contribute in any way that I can this weekend to maximise what we can do.”

Alex Albon of Thailand and Williams F1 crashes out during FP1 ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Circuit. (Photo by Kym Illman/Getty Images)

The statement confirmed the broken chassis will be flown back to their Grove HQ to be repaired.

Williams team boss James Vowles has been left red-faced by the team’s failure to have enough spares to fix Albon’s car.

And he paid tribute to Sargeant, calling him a “true team player” - words that will only grate with the American who is already fighting for his future.

Vowles said: “We are hugely disappointed that the damage sustained to the chassis has meant we need to withdraw it from the weekend.

“It’s unacceptable in modern day F1 not to have a spare chassis, but it is a reflection of how behind we were in the winter period and an illustration of why we need to go through significant change in order to get ourselves in a better position for the future.

"It's one of the hardest decisions I've made."

James reflects on Friday at the #AusGP. pic.twitter.com/nubSpIhiIn

— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) March 22, 2024

“As a result, we have had some very difficult decisions to make this afternoon.

“While Logan should not have to suffer from a mistake that he did not make, every race counts when the midfield is tighter than ever, so we have made the call based on our best potential to score points this weekend.

“This decision was not made lightly, and we cannot thank Logan enough for his graceful acceptance, demonstrating his dedication to the team; he is a true team player.

“This will prove a tough weekend for Williams, and this situation is not one that we will put ourselves in again.”

Logan Sargeant has been booted from the Aussie GP. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

F1 fans have slammed the team’s decision to withdraw Sargeant from the race, with one person taking to X to write: “Embarrassing. I wouldn’t be shocked if this decision prevents certain drivers from joining the team in the foreseeable future — especially other teams putting young talent in the car. Lost a lot of respect for Vowles with this one.”

Another agreed, adding: “Have some shame, this is beyond embarrassing and unfair. Great way to damage someone’s confidence further when he was already struggling with it.”

A third commented: “Disgusting behaviour. I can’t see how the slight gain in race pace is worth the loss in team morale.”

Alex Albon will race with his teammate’s car. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)

While a fourth wrote: “Totally unfair at the beginning of the season with both drivers on 0 points. Logan is being punished for Alex crashing the car.”

Meanwhile, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admits the team stuffed up again after Lewis Hamilton was the second slowest during second practice.

Mercedes appear clueless as they attempt to try and make up for their lack of speed.

Wolff said: “In the second session [we’ve] gone through a really quite dramatic set-up change on Lewis’ [car] and that has massively backfired.

Hamilton, who is quitting the team for Ferrari, has not won a race since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2021.