VIDEO: Big crash in F1! Albon shoots up his car in the opening practice, what does this mean for the Williams team?

Friday’s practice sessions kicked off the third round of the Formula 1 season, the Australian Grand Prix. Fans are used to the fact that anything can happen at Albert Park. And it did. Alexander Albon crashed in the first practice session.

In Australia, something like that was to be expected, especially in qualifying or the race, but not so much in one of the free practice sessions, and not in the opening one.

Williams driver Alexander Albon crashed dangerously in the first free practice (FP1), which started at 2.30am CET. Naturally, red flags were waved on the circuit after the crash and practice was suspended.

The consequences for Williams are then all the worse. Albon had extensive damage to his car’s chassis and gearbox, and not least to the engine. Williams will therefore leave the rest of the weekend with only one car. And as the team has now confirmed, it is Albon who will remain in the game

Logan Sargeant has been given the day off by team boss James Vowles. It’s not a happy decision for the American driver’s confidence. However, given the position of the drivers in the team, with Albon clearly filling the role of number one, it should do no harm as far as the relationship in the team is concerned.

You can watch the accident from the opening practice session, which incidentally was won by Lando Norris in the McLaren, in the attached video below.

Results of the first practice sessions, Albon in FP2 with no laps completed

As we write above, the fastest driver in the opening act of the Australian Grand Prix was Brit Norris. Max Verstappen was second, George Russell third, Charles Leclerc fourth, and Japanese driver Yuki Cunoda rounded out the elite five.

It should be noted, however, that Albon was not the only one to make a driving mistake. Although it was his collision that caused Williams some rather fatal consequences.

During the two practice sessions, Valtteri Bottas and the aforementioned American Sargeant, for example, spun. The second practice was then dominated by Leclerc with a time of 1:17.277, with Verstappen again finishing second. Third place this time went to Carlos Sainz, while fourth and fifth positions were taken by Aston Martin drivers Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso.

Source: F1