Albon sends message to Sargeant after ‘brutal’ dropping

Alex Albon has sent a message of support to his former team mate Logan Sargeant after Williams announced that the American was to be replaced by Franco Colapinto for the remainder of the 2024 season.

Sargeant was set to depart the Grove outfit at the end of year once it was confirmed Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz had secured a contract with the team from 2025. However, a particularly tough run of races resulted in Team Principal James Vowles electing to change their line-up mid-season.

ANALYSIS: The final straw that convinced Williams to axe Sargeant – and why they opted for Colapinto

Whilst Albon has secured two ninth-place finishes in 2024 so far, to score all of Williams' four points, the 23-year-old American was one of three drivers on the grid yet to score a point alongside the Sauber duo of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu.

Furthermore, a disastrous crash in FP3 in Zandvoort on a freshly-upgraded FW46, that was intended to propel the team into the points-scoring positions, marred what would prove to be his final weekend in F1 this season.

ZANDVOORT, NETHERLANDS - AUGUST 24: The car of Logan Sargeant of United States and Williams is recovered from the track after crashing during final practice. (Photo by Bryn Lennon - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images) — The team's new aero package was ruined following Sargeant's crash in Zandvoort

Taking to X to show support for his former team mate, Albon said: “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.”

The Briton has himself experienced the ruthless nature of driver changes, having been demoted by Red Bull to become a test and reserve driver at the conclusion of the 2020 season. The move led to him taking a sabbatical from Formula 1, returning in 2022 with Williams.

In their press release published on Tuesday, the team insisted that Sargeant “will remain in the Williams family and we will support him to continue his racing career.” But with only three seats on the 2025 grid left to be confirmed, it’s more likely that the American will move to another racing series.

His replacement, Colapinto, has spent this year contesting his debut season in Formula 2, but has now been promoted from Williams’ driver academy to become Albon’s team mate for the remaining nine races of 2024.

IT'S RACE WEEK: 5 storylines we're excited about ahead of the 2024 Italian Grand Prix

With Sainz and Albon locked in as the team's line-up for 2025, it is unclear what Colapinto's racing pathway will look like after the conclusion of this season.

The Argentinian has experienced a brief run in this year’s car during FP1 at the British Grand Prix – where he was 0.429s off Albon’s pace – and will be truly thrown in at the deep end at this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.