F1 | Sargeant accident: damage to gearbox and suspension. Frame OK

Logan Sargeant's race weekend got off to a rough start. Very bad. During the first free practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix, the Williams driver went off the track in which he significantly damaged his FW46 with 25 minutes remaining in the session.

The American driver, while he was intent on covering the stretch between turns 7 and turn 8, put his right wheels off the asphalt, thus being drawn further out by the grass and ending up in a spin. The FW46 then ended up crashing into the barriers of the curve where Jules Bianchi's terrible and fatal accident occurred 10 years ago.

Sargeant, fortunately, got out of the cockpit of his car without physical consequences, but with the fear of having to say goodbye to a race weekend once again due to a lack of spare parts at Williams after what happened two weeks ago in Melbourne .

Once the car returned to the pits and was analyzed by the mechanics, the American's FW46 appeared to have very damaged front suspension and gearbox, which will have to be replaced for the rest of the weekend. The team will try to fix the car to allow Logan to take part in Free Practice 2, but it is not certain that there will be enough time.

The fact that Sargeant broke the new front wing in the accident should not go unnoticed. For this reason Williams will be forced to fit an old specification due to lack of spare parts. The most positive aspect is that the chassis – damaged by Alexander Albon in Melbourne and now supplied to Sargeant – does not appear to be damaged. This will allow Williams to still have 2 drivers to count on to try to grab the first points of the season this weekend.

“After an initial analysis of Logan's car, following the accident in Free Practice 1, we noticed significant damage to the front suspension, as well as to the gearbox. However, the chassis appears to be intact. The team will try to repair Logan's car in time for Free Practice 2,” the team said in a short statement.

We remind you that this weekend, but also at the Chinese Grand Prix, Williams will only be able to rely on 2 chassis. The third, the first spare, will arrive no earlier than the Miami Grand Prix. This is why Sargeant is racing this weekend with the chassis damaged by Albon 2 weeks ago: spare parts are few and, in some cases, completely missing. It cannot be said that this is a good commercial for Formula 1.