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Ted Kravitz ‘can’t believe’ what he’s heard from Williams after Alex Albon crash

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Sky Sports F1 reporter Ted Kravitz couldn’t conceal his surprise at a revelation about Williams during second practice at the Australian Grand Prix.

Williams’ preparations for the race in Melbourne took a nightmare turn when Alex Albon crashed in the opening session.

And Kravitz, speaking live on Sky F1, was in disbelief after learning why that accident could be particularly consequential.

Albon lost control of his car on the exit of turn six and hit the barrier twice, causing huge damage to the right-front and left-rear of his car in particular.

He was unable to run in the evening, with Logan Sargeant the team’s sole representative in FP2.

‘Shocking’ details from Williams’ winter preparations emerged this week.

Team principal James Vowles had to implement an entirely new digital system after discovering that the team had built previous cars using Microsoft Excel.

He also insisted that they assemble the FW46 using a revamped technological base.

This led to staff pulling overnight shifts as the team raced to ensure that they were ready for the opening round in Bahrain.

Williams haven’t been able to score a point at either of the first two races, with Albon coming close in Saudi Arabia by finishing 11th.

F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia - Qualifying
Photo by Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images

Ted Kravitz stunned that Williams don’t have spare chassis

When colleague Karun Chandhok put to him that, according to ‘some other people in the paddock’, Williams didn’t bright a spare chassis, Kravitz expressed his bewilderment.

He thinks the Grove outfit should have been able to solve their development issues by this point.

And he fears that Albon’s weekend could be over if the team isn’t able to find a solution.

He said: “That’s the suggestion I’ve had also, but I just can’t believe it.

“I know Williams have had issues in getting two cars ready for the start of the season.

“But that was a month ago. If Albon has damaged the tub and there isn’t a spare, then he’s not going to be able to take part in the rest of the weekend.

“And that would be the biggest shock of the couple of days here so far.”

Williams may face Logan Sargeant decision at Albert Park

The limitations of the Williams team are becoming increasingly clear, with Albon recently making a ‘painful’ admission about their progress.

He says the team won’t be in a position to address many of the issues with their car until the 2025 season.

In the long run, Vowles, who joined at the beginning of last year, will hope to transform them into a much more efficient operation.

But in the short-term, the former Mercedes man could face a headache on which driver to run this weekend.

If there’s only one car available, then Albon may feel that Sargeant should make way for him.

The Thai driver scored 27 of the team’s 28 points last season to establish himself as the team’s number one.

Sargeant’s F1 future is in doubt ahead of the expiry of his contract at the end of this year.

Vowles has already warned him that he must be the ‘surprise of the season’ to keep his seat.

And there’s talk that Mercedes youngster Andrea Kimi Antonelli could replace him.

The American could, however, point out that he wasn’t the one who made the mistake on Friday.