Alex Albon in, Logan Sargeant out in shock Williams swap
Alex Albon will race in Logan Sargeant’s car after he crashed his own during FP1.
Alex Albon will take team-mate Logan Sargeant’s place for the rest of the Australian Grand Prix weekend with Williams unable to field two cars at Albert Park.
Albon crashed during FP1 and the extensive damage meant Williams were forced to withdraw the chassis for the remainder of the grand prix.
Alex Albon to drive Logan Sargeant’s Williams at Australian Grand Prix
That chassis will be returned to the team’s HQ in Grove, but the team did not bring a spare with them – meaning it quickly became a case of who would be driving come Sunday.
Williams have now confirmed that it will be Albon with Sargeant forced to sit out through no fault of his own.
Team principal James Vowles said: “We are hugely disappointed that the damage sustained to the chassis has meant we need to withdraw it from the weekend.
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“It’s unacceptable in modern day Formula 1 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.
“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.”
Williams’s decision comes after a 2023 season in which Albon registered seven points finishes, with Sargeant scoring just a single point in his debut campaign last year.
Albon said: “I have to be totally honest and say that no driver would want to give up his seat. I would never want anything like this to happen.
“Logan has always been a consummate professional and a team player from day one, and this won’t be an easy one for him to take.
“At this point though, I cannot dwell on the situation and my only job now is to maximise our potential this weekend and work with the whole team to make sure we do the best job possible.”
Sargeant added: “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.”
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