Williams stated on Friday that Alex Albon will take over his teammate Logan Sargeant's vehicle for the remainder of the 2024 Australian Grand Prix weekend, following his collision in Free Practice 1 on Friday morning. Albon suffered severe damage to his vehicle in a massive accident during first practice on Friday, revealing that Williams does not have a backup chassis with them in Melbourne. F1 2024: Controversies off the Track Follow Formula One Season to Australia for Season’s Third Grand Prix.

"Due to the extensive damage sustained, [Williams are] forced to withdraw the chassis for the remainder of the Grand Prix. This chassis will be returned to the team's HQ at Grove for repair. Due to the fact that a third chassis is unavailable, the team can confirm it has taken the decision for Alex to compete for the remainder of the weekend in the chassis that Logan Sargeant drove in FP1 and FP2," a Williams statement said as quoted by Formula 1.

 Williams F1 Team Tweet

The British-born Thai driver sat out second practice, but Williams subsequently revealed that Albon, who outperformed Sargeant in their debut season together, will participate in qualifying and Sunday's race.

"We are hugely disappointed that the damage sustained to the chassis has meant we need to withdraw it from the weekend," said Team Principal James Vowles.

"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," he added.

"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," Vowles said.

"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," Team Principal added.

Albon went on to thank his "consummate professional" teammate Sargeant for agreeing to give away his vehicle, stating, "To be completely honest, no driver would want to give up his seat." I would never want something like this to occur.

"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," he added.

Sargeant, who had a great opening day in Australia, finishing 14th and 13th in the two practice sessions, described being asked to give up his vehicle "the most difficult time in my career," adding, "It's not easy. I am, however, absolutely committed to the team and will continue to contribute in every manner I can this weekend to optimise what we can achieve." F1 News: Major Rule Change With Drag Reduction System to Make Formula One ‘More Thrilling’.

Sargeant will now spend the remainder of the weekend on the sidelines, while Albon takes over the American's chassis from Free Practice 3 onwards, with Williams still looking for their first points of the 2024 season.

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