Williams face F1 budget cap issue after £1.5m crash damage in fresh Alex Albon blow.
With outdated infrastructure and the need to get its 2024 car ready on time for the start of the season, Williams took a gamble and didn't build a spare chassis. However, that backfired at last month's Australian Grand Prix when Alex Albon crashed in practice.
12:59 Tue, 09 Apr 2024.
By Daniel Moxon Senior F1 Writer
The Mirror

When Sargeant crashed in practice at last weekend's Japanese Grand Prix, they would have been fearing the worst. Fortunately, there was no damage done to the chassis - but Albon smashed up the other one on race day when he and Daniel Ricciardo hit the barrier on the first lap. That chassis has been sent back to Williams' UK base to again be repaired, further delaying production of the spare.

Even more concerningly for the team, the repair costs have already spiralled to a seven-figure amount that looks likely to have significant repercussions on the rest of the season. Like all F1 teams, Williams left a cushion when it made its pre-season budget cap calculations to account for crash damage. What they would not have expected is to have already racked up such a huge bill after only the first four rounds of a 24-race season.

Williams have made significant commercial strides in recent times and so have the financial power to deal with the unexpected expense. The team is working with former Manchester United and Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon on that front - he has been brought in as a commercial adviser to the board.

‘£1.5m crash damage’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...geant-32545534


Jolyon Palmer's Analysis: Williams' woes in Suzuka | Workday
09 Apr 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

F1 TV's Jolyon Palmer looks at Logan Sargeant and Alex Albon's crashes in Japan as the Williams team's troubles continued. For more analysis subscribe to F1 TV.

‘Analysis’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...200219476.html


Three crashes in two races taking an “enormous” toll on Williams – Vowles
8th April 2024, 8:20
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans

The latest crash suffered by a Williams driver will delay their upgrade programme later in the season. Team principal James Vowles admitted that was an inevitable consequence of Alexander Albon’s first-lap crash with Daniel Ricciardo in yesterday’s Japanese Grand Prix. “The last two weeks have been tough,” Vowles told the official F1 channel. “I think, take any team, to have three major accidents where you pretty much take out all the equipment on the car is enormous.

“Taking that across the season, you can deal with it. Taking it across just a few races, it’s difficult and the impact of it will be what you expect. We’re making spares as quickly as possible in the background but ultimately performance will have an impact on that. We can’t bring as many updates. The updates that were on the car, unfortunately, are broken. So we’ve got to build those stocks back up and get going again.”

‘Three crashes in two races’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/04/08/...lliams-vowles/


The brutal cost of Williams's shocking F1 crash streak
Apr 9, 2024
by Scott Mitchell-Malm
The Race

Three big crashes, two damaged chassis and no spare car adds up to a brutal cost for the Williams Formula 1 team that goes beyond a bill of more than $2million. This is well beyond the worst outcome Williams would have expected for the start of 2024 even though it knowingly took a big gamble ahead of the new season.

THE BRUTAL COST: The situation was so precarious even before Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix, that Albon claims during his crash he was consciously thinking about how bad it would be for Williams while he was still heading for the wall.

Unsurprisingly the cost is enormous. The repairs, the replacement floors and wings and suspension components, at least two new gearboxes, the unexpected need to transport the chassis - it all adds up, and the three accidents are likely to cost Williams well over $2million once the full extent of Albon’s Suzuka crash is understood.

‘THE BRUTAL COST’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/w...lbon-sargeant/


Williams on the brink: Chassis & spare parts nightmare for China
10:00 Mon, 08 Apr 2024.
Andrew Maitland
Grandpx.news

In the lead-up to the next Formula 1 event in China, a cloud of concern looms over the Williams team, as Alex Albon voices grave apprehensions about the team’s capability to recuperate from a series of setbacks. Williams’ early journey through the 2024 season so far has been marred by a relentless series of mishaps, including delays, a critical shortage of chassis and spare parts, along with significant crash damage.

James Vowles, the team boss, acknowledged the precarious situation, admitting that the construction of a third chassis is still “A long way away.” This poses a significant challenge for the team as they also grapple with dwindling supplies of crucial spare components, including front and rear wings. Vowles elaborated on the team’s multifaceted efforts, emphasizing that the focus is not solely on the chassis but also on managing spare parts and updates to ensure continuity in their operations.

‘On the brink’;

https://grandpx.news/williams-on-the...are-for-china/


Formula 1: Why Williams find themselves in even deeper trouble
Only four races into the 2024 Formula 1 season, Williams appear to be in serious trouble already, and it could greatly hurt them later on.
Apr 9, 2024
By Siddharth Bharani-Dharan
Beyond the Flag (Weblog)

What could happen later on? Williams not having the availability for the parts they need will prove to be a challenge going forward. As of right now, they are in a race against time to repair the chassis Albon used in Japan. The damage was reported to be serious after the 28-year-old’s crash with Daniel Ricciardo on the opening lap.

There is no guarantee this chassis will be repaired in time for the Chinese Grand Prix in less than two weeks. In addition, Williams have had to shift their focus to repairs rather than upgrades. Vowles had also stated that the team’s current supply of parts is nearly wiped out.

Additionally, Williams were expected to get an extra chassis for the season by the Miami Grand Prix in early May. That could be delayed due to the existing chassis repairs that must be done first. Another hardship Williams have been facing is the use of their budget for repairs and parts rather than upgrades.

‘No guarantee this chassis will be repaired in time’;

https://beyondtheflag.com/posts/form...e-01htzgcgpynp


Revealed: The cost to the budget cap of Williams’ crash damage
James Vowles details how Williams can recover from expensive damage
08 Apr 2024
James Dielhenn
Crash.Net

The total cost to the team is in excess of $2m, according to The Race. That is expenditure which must come out of Williams’ budget cap. The budget for every team is $135m in 2024. From that money, Williams and their rivals must pay for all parts on their cars, everything required to run the car, team personnel, garages and spare items.

The chassis from Albon’s car will be sent back to the HQ in the UK before being shipped to China, where the fifth round of the season will be staged in two weeks’ time. Williams only possess two chassis. The production of a spare has been delayed by the damage accrued this season. Team principal James Vowles admitted many crucial parts have been destroyed: “Hopefully, we can recycle some of those bits. But, no, they’re pretty much gone.”

‘Production of a spare has been delayed’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104660...s-crash-damage


What’s going on at Williams? Crunch time for James Vowles as pressure mounts
09 Apr 2024 7:30 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

James Vowles has talked the talk but now it is time, if you will, to chassis the chassis and spare the spare as while the team was the butt of many a meme in Japan, this is his first big test as Williams’ team boss.

Speaking even before pre-season testing, before even the first F1 car had put in a single lap in a shakedown, Vowles said Williams would be “late” to the on-track party. But it was, he implied, a well-thought-out and conscious decision. Blah, blah, “chassis technology is different”, blah, blah, “pushing everything to the limits”, and then perhaps more telling “challenged us to push ourselves beyond where we wanted to be”.

‘Pressure mounts’;

https://www.planetf1.com/features/ja...team-principal