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Max Verstappen reacted to Williams giving Logan Sargeant's car to Alex Albon to drive for the rest of the 2024 F1 Australian GP weekend, stating that it "sucks" for the former.
After Albon crashed during FP1 in Melbourne, his chassis was damaged beyond repair. Since the team did not bring a spare chassis to the race, he couldn't continue the rest of the weekend in the car. Williams then decided to let Albon drive his teammate's car, and Sargeant would then miss the rest of the weekend, through no fault of his own.
Addressing this, team principal James Vowles revealed that it was "one of the toughest" decisions he had to make, but had to prioritize the team before anything else. He further stated that he had to make this choice because even the smallest gap in the midfield can create a major difference in the championship at the end.
Reacting to the situation, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen stated that he understands the circumstances, and while it was necessary for the team, it "sucks' for Logan Sargeant. He told the Dutch media:
"I understand it from the performance aspect, of course, but that doesn't change the fact that this obviously sucks for Logan."
He further jokingly mentioned that if it happened to him, he would make sure that no one else could drive his car either.
"If that were to happen to me, I would completely flatten my car, so no one can drive."
Alex Albon qualified at P12 for the race on Sunday in his teammate's FW46.
Max Verstappen unsure of keeping Ferrari behind in Australia
The Dutchman pulled himself into pole position by the time qualifying ended at Albert Park. Right behind him in the other Red Bull is Sergio Perez, followed by Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari, which completes the top three on the starting grid for tomorrow. Sainz is making his return to racing after missing the F1 Saudi Arabian GP due to an urgent medical condition that required surgery.
Although Ferrari did not look extremely strong during qualifying after the drivers made minor mistakes during their final runs, their long-run pace looked promising during practice sessions.
When asked if he would be able to keep the Ferraris behind, Max Verstappen questioned it for the first time this season. He told Alex Brundle:
"Yeah, they seem very quick also in the long run. So a bit of a question mark for tomorrow, but I guess that makes it very exciting. So we'll find out tomorrow."
Max Verstappen has won the first two races of the season, continuing his win streak from the 2023 F1 season. While Red Bull leads the championship, Ferrari seems to be the only one so far who can challenge the team later in the season with consistent development.
