Williams facing F1 spare parts concern after crash frenzy

Alex Albon has conceded the Williams F1 team is lacking spare parts following its recent run of crashes.

The Thai-British driver collided with Oliver Bearman in Mexico during free practice before his race on Sunday ended prior to the first corner following contact with Yuki Tsunoda.

In Brazil last time out, both Albon and team-mate Franco Colapinto crashed in qualifying, with Albon's impact ruling him out of the race.

Colapinto sustained another heavy shunt in wet conditions during the grand prix, leaving team principal James Vowles to label it as one of his most “brutal” weekends in F1.

Albon has admitted the Grove-based squad is struggling with its spare parts as the season nears its end.

“It’s been a huge effort, I would say, not only to get them here ready, but also in the same specification as Brazil,” Albon told media including RacingNews365.

“It’s fair to say there are not many spare parts left for the rest of the season, but at the same time, it just shows you the quality that we have back at the factory and here at the racetrack.

“There’s been a huge effort to get it all done on time. That's a lot of time spent after work hours and [through] the night to get these cars ready.

“It feels a bit disconnected with Alpine scoring so well [at the] last race. But it’s great to see the hunger and desire from everyone.”

Albon racing with 'normal' viewpoint despite spare parts shortage

Williams was in a similar position at the start of the campaign, with no spare chassis available until the Miami Grand Prix.

Logan Sargeant was forced to sit out the race in Australia with Albon taking over his car after damaging his chassis beyond repair during practice.

While both Albon and Colapinto are aware of the limitations, Albon has asserted it will not change his approach on the track.

“It was the same thing in the first few races of the year when we had no spare chassis,” he said. 

“The moment you start to think about spare parts and driving under the limit is normally when you start making a mistake.

“So we go about it as a normal weekend, of course, not taking crazy risks, especially on a Friday.

“But we're here to race. We're here to do a good job. We're here to score points.”