Alex Albon’s crash during the first practice session of the Australian Grand Prix led to his Williams teammate, Logan Sargeant, being unable to participate for the remainder of the race weekend.
With Albon’s chassis damaged beyond repair, he had to use Sargeant’s car because Williams did not have a spare chassis prepared at that point in the season.
Toto Wolff’s recent revelation highlights a similar situation at Williams regarding spare chassis. While Sargeant’s chassis survived a crash during the Japanese Grand Prix’s first practice session, Williams faced criticism for not having a spare.
However, it turns out Williams is not alone in this risk. Alpine is also in a similar situation, lacking a spare chassis.
When questioned, Alpine’s team boss, Bruno Famin, confirmed they currently do not have a spare chassis at the Suzuka circuit. Similarly, Toto Wolff, the team boss of Mercedes, admitted that even during his time there, they sometimes began a season without a spare chassis.
Wolff’s surprise revelation included the fact that Williams often went most of the season without a spare chassis during his tenure there.
However, Williams aims to rectify this situation. Team principal James Vowles stated that the third chassis is expected to be ready for Round 6 of the season in Miami. Despite the challenges, Williams and Alpine are striving to secure their first points of the season at the Japanese Grand Prix.
