This is how the Japanese Grand Prix turned out for Williams, who for the seventh consecutive time were unable to score any points. Additionally, in the previous two races, the drivers experienced a total of three collisions, which is quite significant for a team without a spare chassis. It is indeed costly!
For the second consecutive year, Albon encountered issues in Japan right from the start of the race – and the situations were quite similar. Last year, Alex was attacked by Bottas even before the first turn, as he attempted to avoid Ocon.
This time, the Williams representative once again found himself as an innocent victim, except this time Ricciardo collided with him while trying to avoid Stroll. If you enjoy betting on Formula 1, we suggest considering switching to Mostbet login BD.
As for Logan Sargeant, his actions once again did not work in his favor. “Degner” is a perilous spot, and the young American momentarily locked his wheel, resulting in him ending up in the gravel before he knew it.
Sargeant managed to bring the car to a stop to avoid hitting the barriers, but it cost him approximately 30 seconds to get back on track after the incident. Consequently, both Alpine drivers overtook him, with Logan ultimately finishing in last place.
However, during the practice session two days prior to the race, Sargeant once again crashed his car. It is worth noting that Logan’s car is a rebuilt chassis from Albon’s, which he had crashed in Melbourne. The car was repaired in Grove and given to Sargeant, who unfortunately ended up colliding with the wall once again.
The driver admitted that he went too far, attempting a very wide attack on the seventh turn, and did not anticipate making contact with the curb. This incident, along with his spin during training in Australia, marks his third significant and costly mistake.
Fortunately, the monocoque was not damaged as a result of this incident, although Sargeant did destroy valuable updates – the team had constructed a set of front and rear wings. While this saga did not impact the team as severely as Albon’s accident in Melbourne, it did consume valuable time and resources for the engineers as they worked to rectify the damaged cars.
As they head to Shanghai for a Sprint Race weekend, there will only be one free practice session before things become serious, making it quite inconvenient to test the wings.
The beginning of the season proved to be a disappointment for Williams regardless of how you analyze it. The top five teams have a significant lead over the competition, leaving Grove to strive for the top spot among the stragglers in order to occasionally score points.
In the past, there were instances where Williams managed to achieve this, although both Haas and Alfa Romeo made progress during the off-season. Red Bull also appears to be performing well, making it even more challenging for Albon. Throughout 2024, he never made it to Q3 or finished in the top ten at the end of a race.
Meanwhile, Grove is implementing changes to its internal processes. Vowles revealed that the team used to track car components in Microsoft Excel after he joined Williams last year. Under the new leadership, a global restructuring has been initiated, although significant progress has yet to be seen at Williams. It can be argued that the process under the new head is not going smoothly.
The organizational upheavals have resulted in Williams not having enough time to produce a spare chassis before the start of the season, and Albon’s accident further complicated matters.
With constant crashes, the team has less time and resources available for updates. This will not only impact the current season but also future ones, particularly in 2025 when the F1 rules remain the same and the new chassis should be an evolution of this year’s model.
As a result of the reshuffling led by James Vowles, there is a possibility that Williams may continue to struggle at the back of the grid.
The new owners from Dorilton Capital managed to bring Williams back to a stable state after the disastrous 2018 season. However, it remains uncertain whether they have the patience to endure another setback.
At present, in this era of F1, the once-dominant team founded by Sir Frank Williams (nine F1 Constructors’ titles, seven Driver titles) is barely recognizable in its current state compared to its former glory.