Sargeant's Suzuka weekend: How a NIGHTMARE unfolded.
Logan Sargeant experienced a forgettable weekend in Suzuka, marked by errors and incidents that could seriously jeopardise his future in the category.
Sunday 24 September 2023 18:42
Luis Raya
GPFans

Williams are one of the teams with the greatest difference between its drivers this season, with Alex Albon carrying the team's weight and accumulating 21 points, while Logan Sargeant is struggling in his first season in Formula 1. The Japanese Grand Prix has been particularly tough for the American driver, with many errors compromising his weekend, and many are placing him outside the grid for the next season.

Start from the pit lane. If starting from the back seemed like the worst, things took a turn for the worse when the American was penalised and had to start from the pit lane. The reason for this was that the team changed the chassis in the closed park, which also resulted in a 10-second penalty during the race. This seriously hampered his race, leaving little hope of achieving a good result in Suzuka.

Crash with Bottas on lap 5. After the chaos of the first lap and the withdrawal of the safety car, Valterri Bottas, in the last position, attempted to overtake Sargeant on the outside at the turn 11 hairpin.

‘How a NIGHTMARE unfolded’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...cident-bottas/


Why Logan Sargeant has been whacked with a massive penalty
Logan Sargeant's rookie season in Formula 1 has taken a turn for the worse, following an FIA decision.
25 September 2023
by Nick Golding
Formula1News

Rookie Logan Sargeant’s maiden Formula 1 campaign went from bad to worse at the Japanese Grand Prix last weekend, where the American was slapped with several penalties by the FIA. Sargeant’s car snapped on him which resulted in him trying to turn out of it, sending him off the circuit and into the wall.
His crash destroyed his car, with the cameras having panned to several distraught Williams mechanics. A long night was ahead of Williams ahead of the race, with Sargeant requiring a new survival cell. Whilst a new survival cell can be fitted, a completely new chassis is against the rules, as this would result in effectively a ‘third car’ being introduced.

The FIA’s technical delegate Jo Bauer was unhappy with how much work Williams had done to the spare chassis ahead of parc ferme concluding, to the extent that it was as if the outfit had three cars. As a result, Williams’ repairs were referred to the stewards, who agreed with Bauer that the rules had been breached.

‘Massive penalty’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/why-logan...ssive-penalty/


Vowles shows support for young F1 star ahead of 2024 Williams seat decision
Friday 29 September 2023 11:57
Cal Gaunt
GPFans

Williams has provided yet another vote of confidence in their young Formula 1 driver Logan Sargeant, but it remains unclear if he'll be in the seat next season. "We will give Logan the chance to prove himself until the end of the season," Vowles told Blick newspaper. “Other drivers I can think of were given two years to do that,” he added, likely alluding to former Haas driver Mick Schumacher who has been linked with the Williams seat.”

Despite Sargeant's recent crashes in Japan, Vowles defended him once more. "He did the three practice sessions at Suzuka as I would hope from him," Vowles remarked. "In his Q1 lap, he was almost exactly as fast as Alex [Albon] up until the accident. That shows that he has the speed."

Sargeant, in response, acknowledged that Williams had set clear expectations for him to exhibit "constant improvement" in each race "from now until the end of the season".

‘Team boss James Vowles confirmed their short-term commitment to Sargeant’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...-f1-2024-seat/


Alex Albon: ‘It was game over’ after heavy Lap 1 contact with Bottas
24 Sep 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Alex Albon’s Williams took a big hit off the line from the Alfa Romeo of Valtteri Bottas, forcing the Thai driver to eventually retire from the race.

‘Game over’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...266919352.html


Albon admits AlphaTauri F1 gains ‘a bit worrying’ for Williams
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Alex Albon admits that AlphaTauri’s recent performance gains are “a little bit worrying” for Williams’ chances of holding onto seventh place in the championship. AlphaTauri currently languish rooted to the bottom of the Constructors’ standings, having only accumulated five points across the 16 rounds to be held in the 2023 season.

The Faenza-based side sits five points behind Alfa Romeo, who are a further two points adrift of Haas in eighth place. However, Williams, who have been confined to the foot of the standings in four of the past five seasons, lead the way in the battle to secure seventh position, with the Grove-based side notching 21 points to date.

‘A bit worrying’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...-for-williams/


Williams' Albon worried by AlphaTauri's recent resurgence
30/09/2023 at 11:25
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com

Alex Albon admits that he's worried about the recent improvement in performance by the AlphaTauri team, and what it might mean for Williams' hopes of a strong outcome to this year's constructors championship. "They were quick in Singapore and they're going to be quick again in every circuit," predicted Albon. "I think their step has been quite significant, and a little bit worrying.”

Tsunoda had started the Japanese GP in ninth place but dropped out ot the top ten in the race, which Albon reckoned was down to the team's tyre strategy over the course of the weekend. "I think they boxed themselves, I was really surprised by their tyre choice,” Albon mused. “They gave themselves only one medium, one hard, and I think Yuki didn't even have a new soft.”

“They gave themselves only one medium, one hard, and I think Yuki didn't even have a new soft," he summarised. “Obviously we didn't expect this much degradation in the race," agreed Tsunoda. "Other teams had hard tyres, we did not, so some things to look out for the future."

‘AlphaTauri's recent resurgence’;

https://f1i.com/news/488564-williams...esurgence.html