Albon made a mistake and Sargeant pays the price. The decision taken by Williams is one that divides opinions: asking a driver to give up racing to give up his car to his teammate is something that is difficult to accept in modern Formula 1. On the one hand there are those who argue that the interests of the team come first, on the other those who believe that a sacrifice like the one asked of Sargeant is too much in contemporary Formula 1.
The Williams FW46 destroyed by Albon is recovered
Photo credit: Williams
The first surprising aspect in this story is the glaring lack of a spare chassis. Even though Williams has been a team that has consistently competed in the second half of the grid for many years, we are still talking about a Formula 1 team. Arriving at the third stage on the calendar without a reserve chassis is an unacceptable risk when you are racing on a street circuit (among other things, the second in a row) an accident like the one that happened to Albon in FP1 in Melbourne must be taken into account.
Although the team is no longer in the terrible conditions of 2019 (the lowest point in Williams history) what we saw today in Melbourne will remain a stain on Vowles' management. Go for the changes in methodologies, but finding yourself on the Friday of a race weekend having to withdraw a single-seater due to lack of spare parts is not justified by any corporate metamorphosis. This is a glaring planning error.
James Vowles, Team Principal, Williams Racing
Picture of: Motorsport Images
Vowles explained that the team had to face a tour de force to prepare two cars in time to be on track in Bahrain, and one of the consequences was the postponement of the production of the third bodyshell.
“We stressed the organization to the absolute limit – explained the team principal – and one of the consequences was the delay in the construction of the third chassis. No team arrives on track for a race weekend without a spare chassis, if you do you know you're taking a risk. We must ensure that we never find ourselves in a similar situation again in the future. The chassis will return to the UK as quickly as possible and will be repaired so that it can be available for the next stop in Japan.”
Logan Sargeant, Williams FW46
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
In addition to finding itself with only one car at the start of the Australian Grand Prix, Williams also had to make a difficult and unpopular decision, namely to ask Logan Sargeant to withdraw from the weekend to hand the car over to his teammate.
Vowles said it was one of the “most difficult decisions” he has had to make since joining Williams, and justified it with Albon's greater chances of being able to aim for one or two points in Sunday's race.
“The fight close to the top-10 is incredibly close – explained Vowles – a point or two at the end of the season can make the difference between finding yourself sixth or tenth in the Constructors' standings. As much as it pains me to see a driver who, through no fault of his own, finds himself excluded from the Grand Prix, I have to give priority to the team. Logan has been amazing, clearly he is affected by this decision, but he knows that the team comes first.”
The one made by Vowles is no small bet. If Albon is really able to have a good race, the team principal will come out of it very well, he will be praised for the courage of having made an unpopular decision for the good of the team. However, there is also the flip side of the coin. Albon will have a great responsibility on his shoulders, and he knows that he will no longer be able to afford any mistakes. But in the medium and long term there could also be consequences from Sargeant, a public rejection by his team will certainly not be good for morale.
There is no doubt about Albon's better chances of aiming for the top-10, but the blow dealt to Sargeant is one that can bring down his esteem for the rest of the season. If the stop had come last year he would have been justified with the lack of experience, but with a full season behind him it is a hard blow.
It is often said that every driver faces watershed weekends throughout their career, and in this case the same can be said for Vowles. The character is there, now the track will tell whether the decision taken today in Melbourne will be a medal or a stain on his young career as team principal.
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