Ex-Red Bull driver praises Williams’ boldness over ‘brutal’ decision to sideline Logan Sargeant for Alex Albon at Australian GP

Williams has closed Logan Sargeant's pit-box and has shifted all recourses to Alex Albon's team.

Ex-Red Bull driver praises Williams’ boldness over ‘brutal’ decision to sideline Logan Sargeant for Alex Albon at Australian GP

Alexander Albon and Logan Sargeant at Zandvoort via IMAGO

The Free Practice sessions throughout the Friday morning of the Australian Grand Prix was eventful. One of the most major incidents from the first day was Williams Driver Alex Albon‘s collision with the wall halfway through the first Free Practice session. The crash was pretty significant, and it resulted in a broken chassis of FW46.

Now Williams principal James Vowles confirmed that Alex Albon will be taking over from American driver Logan Sargeant for the remainder of the weekend as the team hasn’t brought a new chassis to Melbourne. Ex-Red Bull test driver and Sky F1 pundit Karun Chandok thinks replacing Sargeant for Albon is a brutal decision but one that is definitely for the betterment of the team.

As I said in commentary soon after we learned of the chassis damage, it’s a brutal call to make on Logan Sargaent but it’s absolutely the right one...James Vowles showing strong and bold leadership by getting the driver who has the most chance of scoring on the grid.
Karun Chandok wrote on X.

With Albon now driving the only active William’s car for the remainder of the Australian Grand Prix all eyes are on him to obtain a solid result for the team. Only time will tell whether the Thai driver will be able to deliver with all the pressure on his shoulders.

James Vowles explains logic behind Alex Albon replacing Logan Sargeant

The decision to replace the young American was shocking but not unexpected as the team principal James Vowles hinted at it after FP1 itself as Williams didn’t carry an extra chassis for the weekend. Vowles spoke about how points are very crucial at the current stage of the season with a very tight midfield battle. According to him, the replacement was a bit unfair but was the best overall decision for the team.

James Vowles and Logan Sargeant
James Vowles and Logan Sargeant (via IMAGO)
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.

James Vowles said.

With the decision being very difficult to make, the Williams Team Principal commended Sargeant’s decision to agree to the betterment of the team. Now, it’s in Albon’s hands to maximize the result for the remainder of the race weekend as a failure will put both the team management and the drivers’ credentials at risk.

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