Williams workforce boss James Vowles says Method 1’s “extremely tight” midfield battle justified his troublesome determination to sideline Logan Sargeant and assign the American’s chassis to Alex Albon for the rest of the Australian GP weekend.
Albon’s chassis was broken past rapid restore following the Anglo-Thai racer’s heavy crash in Friday’s opening observe session.
Sadly, the Grobe-based outfit doesn’t have at its disposal a 3rd chassis that it might construct up for Albon, a plight that Vowles referred to as “unacceptable” for Williams and which has come about because of the workforce’s late manufacturing schedule for 2024.
Vowles acknowledged the gravity of the choice, calling it one of many “hardest” he is confronted at Williams.
However the cutthroat competitors within the decrease half of the constructors’ championship meant that the workforce couldn’t afford to lose potential factors from their most skilled driver, particularly on a monitor the place they believed they’d a powerful likelihood to carry out properly.
“The midfield is so extremely tight {that a} level or two or extra could make the distinction on the finish of the season between being tenth or being sixth. The unfold of our automobiles in the meanwhile is milliseconds,” Vowles defined in a video revealed on social media.
“And as a lot because it pains me to see a driver that by way of no fault of their very own will not be racing on Sunday, I’ve to prioritise the workforce above all else.
“Logan has been large. He is right here to assist the workforce on this regard. He is clearly very a lot hurting because of this determination however equally sturdy in as a lot as he is aware of the workforce above all else is the precedence.”
Vowles defined the foundation reason for the workforce’s plight and the way Williams should guarantee sooner or later that it by no means once more races and not using a spare chassis.
“Because of the work that passed off throughout the winter, we confused the organisation to absolutely the restrict,” he mentioned. “We pushed all the things so far as it might do.
“What it meant, because of that, is off the again finish of being very late on a few of the manufacturing, the spare chassis begins to maneuver backwards.
“No workforce plans to return to an occasion and not using a spare chassis. In doing so that you create danger. In the best possible case it is uncomfortable, and within the worst case, one of many automobiles shouldn’t be racing. And that is the scenario we face at the moment.
“We’ve to make sure that we by no means, ever put ourselves in that scenario once more going ahead sooner or later. We’re right here to go racing, and to solely have one automotive right here on Saturday and Sunday merely is not what we’re constructed to do.”
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