Suzuka F1 crash a “silly error” I shouldn’t be making in FP1

The American ran wide at the high-speed Dunlop Curve left-hander and having put his right-hand side wheels on the grass, he lost control and spun into the barrier.

He hit with both the front and rear, damaging the suspension and cracking the gearbox of the FW46.

Fortunately the chassis, which was shipped back to the UK and repaired after team-mate Alex Albon’s FP1 crash in Australia, escaped intact. The team still does not have a spare on hand.

Sargeant was forced to miss FP2 as the mechanics undertook repairs. However, a damp track meant that little meaningful running was completed by anyone, and thus both Williams and Sargeant didn’t miss out through the lost track time.

Nevertheless it was another expensive incident for the team, especially with a second gearbox damaged in two events.

“I put the car into place I didn’t realise I was at,” Sargeant admitted. “It’s a bit of a silly error, to be honest, one that I shouldn’t be making, especially in P1.

“But yeah, fortunately it wasn’t like the mistakes last year, it wasn’t an over-pushing thing, but nevertheless still left the team with some damage. Fortunately got away better than it could have been.”

Sargeant insisted that he hadn’t suffered any loss of confidence in the wake of having to give his car to Albon in Australia.

“Definitely wasn’t knocked at all,” he said. “If anything I came into this round after a week off feeling more fresh and ready to go than ever.

“So no confidence lost. I wanted to kick myself a little bit after today, but nothing to do with that, just a visual error that I’ll move forward from tomorrow.”

Williams team principal James Vowles agreed that the accident was down to a car placement error on Sargeant’s part, rather than because he was trying too hard or attempting to prove a point after his Australia disappointment.

“What you saw here wasn’t a driver making a mistake because they were pushing to the limits,” he said. “It’s a very different type of mistake, a frustrating one by all accounts, because it wasn’t on the limit of what the car could do.

“There was far more turning potential in it, he just didn’t know where the car was on track, relative to where he expected it to be anyway.

“So I don’t think you’re seeing there the reaction of someone that wasn’t driving in Melbourne, you’re seeing more just a situation that could have appeared at any time.”