“Let's talk about a rather serious accident. The engine was damaged, the gearbox split in two and the chassis also suffered serious consequences." These are James' first words Vowles, team principal of Williams, following of Alexander Albon's accident during the FP1 of the Australian GP. The Thai driver had an unpleasant impact with the wall which, fortunately, did not cause any physical consequences. A different matter, however, for his car which needs to be completely rebuilt, especially on the right side. For this, Albon did not take to the track during FP2 (brought home by a super Leclerc) and there is no shortage of doubts about the possibility of being able to get the car back on track during the weekend.
Accident for Albon in FP1 of the Australian GP: weekend compromised?
It is Williams who is most frightening at home the chassis question. As told by Vowles, the Grove team this weekend he doesn't have a third available and the danger that the car won't be able to be put back on track certainly exists. “We talk – the team principal tells Motorsport.com – about the worst accident that could have happened to us. For this weekend we don't have a third chassis. We therefore need to understand whether we can fix this or not. We have some repair kits, but we are still talking about a very serious accident and, for this reason, I am not sure if they will be able to work."
Albon instead of Sargeant?
And now the question arises spontaneously: if they don't manage to rebuild the FW46, who will run in the race on Sunday? Obviously, it will only be one car that will do it and, in this respect, Vowles has not ruled that out Albon can take Sargeant's place and compete on behalf of the team. “Let's see first what options we have on the chassis, then we will make our decisions. However, it is inevitable to think that one point here, considering the calendar, always makes the difference in a sport like ours."
