Logan Sargeant will run with the repaired FW46 chassis this weekend in Japan, following a difficult weekend last time in Australia. The American will look to put the third round of 2024 in the past and execute a solid weekend in Suzuka.
Williams made a hugely controversial weekend two weeks ago in Albert Park. Following Alex Albon’s FP1 crash, there was only one chassis available for the remainder of the race weekend. James Vowles then made the decision to withdraw Sargeant from the weekend to step aside for his teammate.
Unsurprisingly, this was met with quite a strong reaction. It was the biggest talking point of the weekend – before Carlos Sainz and Ferrari gave F1 news outlets another story to write about.
However, last weekend was not the end of the team’s component shortage. Williams still doesn’t have a spare chassis, having spent the last ten days working to repair the damaged one from Australia.
Sargeant to use repaired chassis
Logan Sargeant confirmed to the media in Japan that he will run in the repaired chassis:
“I have the patched up one [chassis], but a very well patched up one.
“The repair went better than expected, and it should be exactly identical to what I previously had.”
The Williams duo cannot afford to make errors this weekend since the team is still without a spare chassis. Another significant crash could put the British outfit in yet another difficult scenario.
Moreover, further damages will likely delay the FW46’s upgrades. In this sense, Logan Sargeant and Alex Albon will be less comfortable than usual over the next few races.
Over the winter, Williams developed a car with different characteristics from last year’s. Their 2024 challenger is a more well-rounded machine that, in theory, should perform better at Suzuka than in previous years.
However, points will still be difficult for James Vowles’ team to come by. In many ways, the Grove-based squad would likely settle for a quieter weekend – away from the incidents and controversy of two weeks ago.
