The Grove racing team is yet to acquire a spare car, with Logan Sargeant currently driving the significant-repairs needed chassis that Alex Albon crashed during the Melbourne Grand Prix.
Sargeant experienced an unfortunate crash as his position on the track led to his right-hand wheels hitting the grass at the high-speed Dunlop Curve left-hander. The barrier hit resulted in damage to both ends of his vehicle.
When James Vowles, the team’s strategist, was asked about the extent of the damage, he stated,”It’s pretty significant. The chassis, luckily, is okay. However, practically everything else is not – the suspension all around, a cracked gearbox, and substantial damage.” He continued, “We’ll obviously do our best to get the car back on the track, but the amount of damage will delay the process.”
Vowles went on to elaborate on Sargeant’s error, “He struggled with his track positioning as it was at the brow of the hill, giving an impression that he didn’t fully grasp his location in relation to the grass, causing the wheel to hit.”
Vowles dismissed any notion of Sargeant feeling the pressure to go beyond his capabilities, especially after handing over his car to Albon in Melbourne.”I’ve been talking to Logan regularly because in such situations, a driver needs substantial support,” he shared.
According to Vowles, Sargeant was in high spirits and eager to get back in his car, not out of a need to prove his worth, but as a part of his regular approach. He explained, “The mistake you see here isn’t from an overzealous driver. It’s a different, frustrating kind because it wasn’t the car’s limit. He misjudged the car’s track position based on his expectations.”
He also clarified that the incident wasn’t a consequence of Sargeant not driving in Melbourne, but rather a situation that could have arisen at any time.
Still lacking a spare, the Williams racing team is heading to the next Grand Prix in China without one. “The third chassis won’t be ready until the Miami event,” Vowles mentioned, adding that even if all resources were devoted, creating a new chassis from scratch could take 8-10 weeks.
Vowles revealed that they are simultaneously working on spares and updates despite the lack of a full organization. “We never planned to be here with only two chassis; the aim was to have three at the year’s start,” he said, attributing the current situation to system overload, the new car’s complexity, and the amount of work they attempted to push through. “The complexity is huge, with thousands of parts needed to come together for the chassis,” Vowles finished.
Due to the extensive repairs needed, Sargeant will not participate in FP2 at Suzuka on Friday afternoon.