“I know firsthand how brutal this sport can be”: Alex Albon reacts to Williams sacking Logan Sargeant midway through the season

Williams F1 driver Alex Albon sympathized with Logan Sargeant as he highlighted the competitive nature of the F1 and remarked on the "brutal" aspect of the sport. The Grove-based outfit announced after the Dutch Grand Prix that they will be dropping Sargeant midway through the 2024 season and replace him with Franco Colapinto.

It was yet another disappointing weekend for the American as he crashed heavily in the FP3 session, which meant he had to miss qualifying due to the rebuild of his upgraded FW-46. The Williams F1 team principal James Vowles was less than happy with the outcome as the team had looked competitive in the hands of Alex Albon throughout the weekend.

Thanking his former teammate Logan Sargeant during his 18-month stint with the iconic British team, Alex Albon wrote (via his X handle):

"I know firsthand how brutal this sport can be & it’s tough to see Logan leave the team mid-season. You gave it your all brother and it’s been a pleasure being teammates with you. I know whatever you do next, you’ll be awesome."

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Williams F1 team boss chimes in on dropping Logan Sargeant

Williams F1 team principal James Vowles sympathized with Sargeant and said that dropping a driver mid-season was a difficult but necessary decision to take up any point-scoring opportunity in their bid for wins.

Via the team's official statement, the former Mercedes man said:

“To replace a driver mid-season is not a decision we have taken lightly, but we believe this gives Williams the best chance to compete for points over the remainder of the season. We have just brought a large upgrade to the car and need to maximize every points-scoring opportunity in a remarkably tight midfield battle," Vowles said.

"This is undoubtedly incredibly tough on Logan, who has given his all throughout his time with Williams, and we want to thank him for all his hard work and positive attitude. Logan remains a talented driver and we will support him to continue his racing career for the future. I know that Franco has great speed and huge potential, and we look forward to seeing what he can do in Formula 1,” he added.

Vowles had dropped Sargeant from a race earlier in the season when Alex Albon crashed the car in the Australian GP practice session. Due to the lack of replacement parts, it was decided that the Thai driver would drive his teammate's car for the rest of the weekend while Sargeant had to sit out.

Ever since the 23-year-old had joined Williams F1 at the beginning of the 2023 season, his F1 career was marred with crashes and car-related struggles that saw him to the back of the grid. He did show some improvement in the second half of the last season, including scoring his sole point at the US Grand Prix, which helped him retain the seat for 2024.