Williams Racing Team Principal James Vowles has announced that the team is on track to repair the damaged chassis from the Australian Grand Prix in time for the Japanese Grand Prix. Following Alexander Albon’s crash during practice, Williams was left with only one car for the race. The team had faced tight deadlines to assemble their revamped FW46 challenger, leaving them without a spare chassis for the start of the 2024 season. However, Vowles has confirmed that the impaired chassis has been returned to the team’s base and repairs are underway to ensure both drivers can compete in Suzuka next weekend.
In a video shared on social media, Vowles expressed confidence in their ability to fix the chassis, highlighting the measures taken to ensure its prompt return to the team. The chassis arrived at the base in the early hours of Monday morning, allowing the crew to immediately begin the repair process. Extensive work was also conducted in Melbourne, including Non-Destructive Testing, to assess the extent of the damage and determine the necessary repairs. Thanks to this preparation, the team is now in a favorable position to have the chassis ready for the upcoming race in Suzuka, ensuring they will have two cars without significant issues.
However, due to the setback of repairing the damaged chassis, Williams will go to the challenging Suzuka circuit without a spare body again. This means that if a repeat of Logan Sargeant’s accident from last season were to occur, the British team would find themselves in the same unfortunate situation as they did last weekend.
“We will definitely have two bodies in Japan, but I don’t believe we will have a third body because the additional workload caused by this change will delay its completion,” explained Vowles. “There is a limited amount of resources available. We can either use it to ensure that we have two cars fully prepared with the necessary spare parts in Japan, or we can use it to build an extra body.”
Vowles made the decision to give Williams’ one remaining body to Albon, as he believed that Albon had the best chance of earning a crucial point and improving their position in the standings. Despite Albon falling just short due to severe tire wear, Vowles maintains that he would not have made that choice unless he believed it was the right one.
“At this moment, what matters to me is the likelihood of scoring a point,” he added. “I have difficult decisions to make, and my priority is the overall well-being of this organization. I will do whatever it takes to secure that point if it is within our reach.”