Vowles defiant over Sargeant Australian GP withdrawal for Albon

Logan Sargeant has been withdrawn from the Australian Grand Prix weekend by Williams, with team-mate Alex Albon set to take over his car as James Vowles labelled the situation "unacceptable."

Albon crashed heavily in Free Practice 1 at Turns 7 and 8, with the right-front sustaining the most damage, with the engine and gearbox also suffering major damage in a secondary hit.

As a result, he missed the second practice session whilst the team evaluated the damage, and with no third chassis on-site in Melbourne, boss Vowles was tasked with deciding which driver would take the FW46.

Sargeant suffered a spin at Turn 13 during FP2 on his way to a 13th-place finish, but will take no further part in the weekend as Vowles decided team leader Albon would take the remaining chassis.

Although Albon will use Sargeant's chassis, Williams must fit engine and gearbox components from Albon's own pool for the remainder of the Albert Park weekend.

Vowles passionate reasoning

"We are hugely disappointed that the damage sustained to the chassis has meant we need to withdraw it from the weekend," explained 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. 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.

"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."