LONDON (Reuters) – Williams are optimistic about having both cars back on track at the Japanese Grand Prix next week, following a setback in Australia where they were only able to field one car due to crash damage. However, the team will still not have a spare car available.
Driver Logan Sargeant had to miss the race in Melbourne after his more experienced teammate, Alex Albon, damaged his car during practice and had to use Sargeant’s car due to the lack of a third chassis.
Team principal James Vowles stated in a debrief on the team’s website that both drivers will be competing at Suzuka. “I’m confident that we will be able to repair the damaged chassis,” he said. “We made sure to have the chassis back at the factory in England early Monday morning, around 2 a.m.”
Vowles mentioned that the chassis was immediately taken apart and repairs were carried out swiftly. “We anticipate no major issues with having two cars at Suzuka,” he added.
“However, we will not have a spare chassis in Japan. The original plan was to have three chassis at the start of the season, but delays have pushed this back. We are working on the second chassis now and expect to have a third one soon,” Vowles explained.
He emphasized that constructing a chassis involves thousands of hours of work in the composites department and is one of the most significant tasks within a Formula One team.
Williams finished seventh overall in the 2023 season, with Albon contributing 27 of their 28 points. Despite their strong performance last year, the team has yet to score any points in the three races of the current season.
Vowles predicted that the lower five teams would be closely competing throughout the season, while the top five teams would dominate the points standings. He described the decision to prioritize Albon over Sargeant in Melbourne as the toughest decision he has had to make in Formula One, based on performance.
“The situation in Melbourne highlighted how much work we have ahead of us to progress and catch up with the rest of the field,” Vowles concluded. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Toby Davis)
