F1 News: Williams Chief Gives Update Ahead Of Japanese GP After Australian Grand Prix Disaster

Williams team principal James Vowles has given a chassis update ahead of the Japanese GP.

In the aftermath of the Australian Grand Prix, Williams' Chief James Vowles has come forward with an update on the team's readiness for the Japanese Grand Prix, admitting the absence of a spare chassis for the event.

Key Takeaways:

• Williams will ensure both drivers have cars for Japan, though without the benefit of a spare chassis again.
• The situation follows an incident at the Australian GP that led to the withdrawal of Logan Sargeant.
• Repair efforts for the damaged chassis are underway, with Vowles providing detailed insights into the challenges faced.

James Vowles - Williams

Williams Press Image

The recent Australian Grand Prix posed significant challenges for the Williams F1 team, culminating in a scenario where Logan Sargeant was withdrawn from the race, and his car was allocated to teammate Alex Albon. This move highlighted the team's precarious situation regarding spare parts, an issue that was further underscored by an admission from Williams' Chief, James Vowles, about the reliance on an Excel spreadsheet for tracking these critical components.

In a candid team debrief, Vowles shared:

"I'm confident we'll be able to fix the [damaged] chassis. We put measures in place to make sure the chassis was back here [at the team's Grove HQ] pretty early on Monday morning, I think it arrived at around 2 a.m.
"In Suzuka we'll have two cars without too many issues. We won't have a spare chassis in Japan. The original plan before the season started was to have three chassis as you would expect at round one and that gently slipped towards round three as items became more and more delayed.
"Since then, and especially with the work we're doing now on chassis number two, there is again going to be a small amount of delay. That said, we will have a third chassis soon."

Vowles detailed the extent of the damage sustained by the car, stating:

"The gearbox was cracked in two, the engine mounts were completely bent, and the engine's done, fundamentally. The chassis, on the front-right corner where the suspension goes in, is torn apart, is the best way to describe it. I can put my finger into the chassis... which you shouldn't be able to do, just for clarity."

Alex Albon - Logan Sargeant - Williams

Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman /

Despite the daunting task ahead, Vowles expressed a strong belief in the team's ability to overcome these challenges.

"The team's been brilliant in working with the structures and stresses department and with the design office. We have teams already working on it in order to get it repaired, but until they see it in person, it will be very difficult, they're doing things by photo that we've done here, but there's four or five mitigation plans in place for it."

Vowles remained cautiously optimistic about the repairs, admitting:

"It's hard until I get the chassis physically back to give you a full acknowledgement of how difficult it would be. It should all be achievable. The car had to leave by Saturday to make it back on time, which gives us near enough a week, and that's a sufficient amount of time. However, no one can give you 100 percent certainty. What I can tell you is based on the evidence that we have so far and the work that's completed, everything looks completely feasible.
"I've seen chassis in worse states come back from this. 100 percent is a difficult number to give you, and as a statistics man, I wouldn't say 100 percent, but I would say there is a very high probability it will all be fine."