Author: quyen1

Credits: IMAGO Marco Canoniero

Newly inducted Visa Cash App RB (V-CARB) boss Peter Bayer recently reflected on the progress Yuki Tsunoda has made, both mentally and physically. Given the Japanese driver’s performances this season, Bayer believes that if the 23-year-old can keep this form up, sooner rather than later, Red Bull will be forced to consider him for a race seat on the main team.

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Motorsport-Total quoted Bayer as saying (as reported by Junaid Samodien on X (formerly Twitter), “If Yuki [Tsunoda] can consistently deliver this performance, then at some point Milton Keynes will raise its eyebrows and take a closer look.” Tsunoda has had a stellar start to the 2024 F1 season.

He has scored six points out of the first three races of the season. In the process, he has V-CARB teammate Daniel Ricciardo comprehensively when it comes to both Qualifying and Race performance.

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Bayer also commended Tsunoda for his physical fitness. The V-CARB boss described Tsunoda as “well trained” and without “an ounce of fat there.” Although the Japanese-born driver may be a star of the future, the higher-ups at Red Bull are still in two minds about giving him that big break alongside three-time world champion Max Verstappen.

Why is Yuki Tsunoda not a probable candidate for the 2025 Red Bull seat?

There is no doubt that Yuki Tsunoda has impressed several people within the F1 paddock. Even Red Bull’s team advisor Helmut Marko showered praise on him for his strong performances and more control over his emotions during the races.

Despite such praise from a tall leader like Marko, the 23-year-old is still not the favorite to succeed Sergio Perez at the Milton-Keynes-based team if they decide not to renew the #11 driver’s contract before the end of this season. Tsunoda is probably the third favorite candidate to slot in for Perez.

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According to experts, despite his poor start to this season, Daniel Ricciardo is in pole position to clinch the second Red Bull seat next year. Moreover, after Carlos Sainz’s stunning Australian GP drive, Christian Horner also confirmed their interest in evaluating the Spaniard for a possible return to the Red Bull team.

Meanwhile, another reason impeding Tsunoda’s shot at that Red Bull seat could be his close ties with Honda. The Japanese engine manufacturers are going to partner with Aston Martin from 2026 onwards, and Tsunoda’s affinity with them could have persuaded Red Bull to give someone else a shot.

But if Tsunoda continues to deliver as he did in the first three rounds, then Red Bull will perhaps show a greater interest in signing him to the main team.

Credits: IMAGO / Motorsport Images

In a recent interview with revered F1 journalist Tom Clarkson for the Beyond the Grid podcast, Haas’ new team principal Ayao Komatsu revealed how he was approached to join the newly-formed side during the 2016 season. At first, the project did not convince the Japanese engineer. As a result, Komatsu wasn’t willing to join them. However, it was former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner that changed Komatsu’s mind.

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Speaking of the same, Komatsu told Clarkson, “I didn’t take it too seriously because I’d never seen a new team performing, let’s say in a respectable manner. So, I wasn’t too interested but then I spoke with Guenther [Steiner].”

Ayao Komatsu actually began his F1 career with Lotus/Renault. In 2012, he became Romain Grosjean’s race engineer and remained in that role till the end of the 2014 season when the team promoted him to chief racing engineer. But when Grosjean decided to leave the team for Haas in 2016, Komatsu followed suit, albeit after a bit of convincing from Steiner.

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The 48-year-old revealed that after his chat with Steiner, the Italian-American was able to convince him about how different the project really was at Haas. An added impetus for the Japanese engineer was the fact that this would be his first opportunity to embark on a completely new project with a different team.

In the end, while the team’s performances on track have been inconsistent, to say the least, Komatsu’s decision to join them came as a blessing in disguise for him. As things turned out, the man who was responsible for getting him into the team was sacked by Gene Haas at the end of the last season, promoting Komatsu to the role of team principal.

Ayao Komatsu and his rise in F1

Ayao Komatsu gained prominence alongside Guenther Steiner with the help of Netflix’s critically acclaimed docuseries ‘Drive to Survive’. Often seen as Steiner’s right-hand man, Komatsu was a regular feature on the show with his no-nonsense attitude, thereby complementing Steiner’s explosive personality perfectly.

Despite this, Steiner was still effectively running the show, both on and off the cameras at Haas. But the last few seasons saw Haas suffer a massive downfall. Moreover, a reported internal power struggle with Gene Haas and Steiner seemingly resulted in the latter getting the sack at the end of the 2023 season.

Almost simultaneously, Haas announced Komatsu as their latest team principal. 2024 has started off on a promising note for the team as they sit seventh in the Constructors’ Championship with four points to their name.

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However, Komatsu isn’t promising a revolution. He understands that the team has a long way to go before they can start making inroads into the tight midfield battle on the grid.

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Recent reports suggest that in their pursuit to sign Max Verstappen, Mercedes have offered the three-time world champion an ambassadorial role at the team. Lewis Hamilton, who is set to leave Mercedes for Ferrari at the end of this season made a similar demand during his contract negotiations, which was rumored to be rejected by the Mercedes board.

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F1-Insider (as reported on X Junaid Samodien) claims that on average, about 90% of Mercedes employees are in favor of having Verstappen on-board. They want their team principal Toto Wolff to successfully poach the star driver from their arch rivals- Red Bull. To lure the Dutchman to Brackley, Wolff and Co. are even ready to make him an ambassador.

Hamilton, who won six world championships with Mercedes, has long been the face of the brand. Still, he was denied an opportunity to be ambassador, as per reports. Hence, the general consensus within the paddock, experts and the fans is that this snub in favor of Verstappen is somewhat disrespectful towards the seven-time world champion.

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The 39-year-old announced earlier this year that he will leave Mercedes, despite having an additional year left on his contract, to join Ferrari from the 2025 season onwards. With Mercedes’ dwindling form and inability to solve problems, many experts also believed that Hamilton being refused an ambassadorial role played a major role in him taking this decision.

While Hamilton felt let down by his team, Ferrari pounced on the opportunity to lure him away from Brackley. In a deal that would reportedly make Hamilton the highest-paid driver in the history of the sport, Ferrari also offered him things that Mercedes could not.

Where Mercedes failed, Ferrari succeeded

Ferrari have not made the details of Lewis Hamilton’s contract public. That being said, reputable paddock chatter has been able to single out some important incentives the Maranello-based team offered, to secure the Briton’s services.

One such prominent deal made between the duo of Hamilton and Ferrari is a 10-year ambassadorial role that would see the 103-time Grand Prix winner become the face of Ferrari once his career in F1 is over.

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In terms of a salary package, the Scuderia reportedly offered him a staggering $100 million-a-year. Beyond this, Ferrari chairman, John Elkann pledged a sum in the ‘hundreds of millions’ that will be invested in Hamilton’s off-track endeavors such as Mission44 – the Briton’s charity and philanthropic foundation.

Mercedes seem really eager to replace the Briton with Max Verstappen. However, if they really want to secure the services of the 26-year-old they might just have to go above-and-beyond what Ferrari did to steal Hamilton away from them in the first place.

 

Fernando Alonso, one of F1’s greatest drivers of all time is not just known for his racing prowess. He is also one of the sharpest individuals in the paddock at all given times, and his ability to get the best out of the car has been praised by engineers and team principals alike. Recently, Haas’ new team principal Ayao Komatsu came out to applaud the Spaniard for the same.

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Long before he joined Haas, Komatsu worked as Alonso’s tire test engineer at Renault. The Enstone-based outfit was where Alonso was at his brilliant best, securing two world title wins in 2005 and 2006 respectively. Komatsu appeared on the Beyond the Grid podcast, where he told host Tom Clarkson, “Fernando, you give him a target – absolutely bang on. Then I said, ‘Okay, this is why this guy’s a world champion!’”.

Komatsu was referring to Alonso’s expertise in understanding how to manage his tire-wear to manipulate lap-times on different compounds in practice, qualifying and also the Grand Prix.

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Komatsu made a comparison between Alonso and Jenson Button in this case. Button too, drove for Renault in the past, but unlike Alonso, would struggle with the car’s balance. The latter would always deliver what the engineer asked of him, be it managing his tires, or pushing harder than usual.

Now 42, Alonso is showing no signs of slowing down despite many pointing out his old age. He still has a similar mindset and the same hunger to succeed at the highest level. His stint with Aston Martin has just added to his motivation, after he secured eight podium finishes in 2023. 2024, however, hasn’t been the same for the Oviedo-born driver.

Can Fernando Alonso win with Aston Martin?

Alonso took a two-season hiatus from F1 before returning to the sport with Alpine in 2021. But the team didn’t have enough to fuel his motivation, which lay towards the front of the pack. So, he decided to join Aston Martin in 2023, and it turned out to be a masterstroke.

Alonso drove what was arguably the second-fastest car on the grid for half a season, and had 8 podium finishes to his name. However, what he craved the most was his 33^rd race win. Unfortunately, it did not come after the team lost steam in the developmental race.

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To add to Alonso’s woes, 2024 saw Aston Martin slip down the pecking order further. The Silverstone-based outfit don’t look like podium contenders till now, but Alonso will be hoping for a miracle in the months to come.

Aston Martin’s underperformance is also leading to rumors of Alonso considering an exit. Since the Spaniard wants to compete for wins and not just points, his most likely destinations include Mercedes and Red Bull, both of whom could have a vacant seat by the end of the year.

Credits: Imago

Bradley Scanes shot to fame in 2020 when he became Max Verstappen’s performance coach, and before his departure in 2023, contributed to the Dutchman’s three-world title wins. During his days with Verstappen, Scanes encountered the “little things” that winners follow to “outdo” each other, and citing this, he revealed the mind games Verstappen resorted to, to come out on top against Lewis Hamilton in 2021.

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“They tried to outdo each other with little things,” said Scanes in an interview with Sky Sports. “In the cooling down room, for example, whoever took the most time to get ready, causing the other to wait. It was those kind of little mind games that they played with each other.”

Mind games were an important thing Verstappen and Hamilton relied on during their epic battle in 2021. Their tussle for the title went down to the wire, with both heading into the final race weekend level on points. As such, there was no margin for error, and they locked horns even away from the track.

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In the end, Verstappen went on to win his first ever world championship, denying Hamilton his eighth, after a controversial finish to the season in Abu Dhabi. Scanes, being in Verstappen’s garage that evening, experienced the win and adrenaline up close.

2021’s title win was monumental for Verstappen and his team Red Bull. It brought the best out of them and paved the way for success and domination that is still F1’s biggest talking point in 2024. Verstappen is now a three-time champion, and this is his first year without Scanes since he became one.

Scanes’ further insight into Max Verstappen’s close group

Scanes announced that he would be leaving Verstappen and F1 in 2023, but before parting ways, the British performance coach posted a heartfelt message for the 26-year-old on Instagram.

In the months following his departure, Scanes revealed that he was part of a super-tight group within Red Bull that consisted of Verstappen’s manager Raymond Vermeulen and his father Jos. He added that this particular group played a huge role in helping him in the 2021 title.

The group was very open and honest and it suited the way Scanes liked to work. If someone was not happy with something, it was discussed immediately. Clear vision, openness, honesty and good communication were absolutely crucial for Scanes.

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Safe to say that Scanes was key behind Verstappen’s success in all three of his championship winning campaigns to date. However, Verstappen remains the favorite to win the title in 2024 to. Can he do it without Scanes?

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There has been no shortage of controversies in F1 in 2024. FIA President Mohammad Ben Sulayem has been one entity consistently involved in one controversy after another. Taking note of the same, 34 members of the FIA recently issued a strongly worded statement in a show of support to the organization and its President.

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The letter promises to take strict legal actions against those who wish to slander the image of the FIA or Ben Sulayem. It also talks about the ratification of Ben Sulayem following his clearance of any wrongdoings over allegations of interfering in F1. All 34 members who signed the letter also endorsed their support of Ben Sulayem. They hailed the 62-year-old for his stewardship of the organization. Furthermore, they appreciated Ben Sulayem’s progress in transforming the FIA in an “ethical and transparent manner.”

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The letter reflects the severe disappointment of the members over the recent allegations against Ben Sulayem. It details that they all believe the allegations came as a means of causing harm to the FIA and its leadership. Hence, a recommendation in the letter asks for legal action against those who slandered the organization and its leader.

In the second half of March, the FIA ethics committee dropped all allegations against Ben Sulayem. A six-person ethics committee and a compliance officer conducted an investigation for over 30 days. They interviewed 11 witnesses before reaching a decision. The committee then issued a statement that cleared Ben Sulayem of all charges, claiming there wasn’t enough evidence to substantiate the allegations.

The Allegations that put Ben Sulayem and F1 at a crossroads

Two issues arose that alleged Ben Sulayem’s wrongdoings within the F1 realm. The first was the Saudi Arabia incident where he was accused of trying to get Fernando Alonso’s penalty overturned. An allegation claimed he called Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamas bin Isa Al Khalifa,  vice-president for sport for the Middle East and North Africa region, to help him with the same.

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The second matter had to do with Ben Sulayem not wanting the Las Vegas GP to take place. A ‘whistleblower’ claimed that the former rally driver did not want to give the track the go-ahead and was looking for a way to do the same. However, Ben Sulayem has been vocal about the Las Vegas track solely being his responsibility. Thus, he says that if he wanted to stop it from going ahead, he could easily have done it.

Speaking to GP Racing Magazine, the FIA President said he is the one who signs the homologation of all the tracks. He added he supported the Vegas track as soon as his team said it was safe. “I could have said no [because it wasn’t ready in time for inspection]. But as soon as my team said it was safe. Because I’m a driver, I care about the well-being of the drivers and the people around them, our staff, and the marshals. I did it.”

The Las Vegas GP did go ahead, after the FIA cleared it for racing. It provided fans with one of the most exciting outings of 2023, so it would have been a shame had the race been cancelled by Ben Sulayem as per the aforementioned reports.

Credits: IMAGO / NurPhoto

In 2025, Ferrari will see an iconic driver lineup in the form of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Both drivers are highly competitive and don’t leave an inch for any competitor including their teammate. Keeping this mind, F1 journalist Will Buxton has an idea of how to handle the team hierarchy at Ferrari next year.

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Speaking on the Red Flags Podcast, Buxton claimed that Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has two options to choose from. He could either opt for equality and give both drivers the same opportunities. As for upgrades, each driver could alternate and maintain equality or wait for enough parts for both of them to get the upgrade together.

Meanwhile, the second one, which Buxton is in favor of, is seeing Hamilton take the lead driver driver role in Ferrari. “The alternative is that you say to Charles (Leclerc, ed.): he is a seven-time world champion, and he is coming to the team as the first driver. You have to live with that and use the opportunity to learn from him.”

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Buxton further highlighted the relationship that Hamilton and Fred Vasseur share. It will allow the latter to drop the hammer on Leclerc, given Hamilton won’t be with the team for very long either way. Maintaining peace between two top drivers in a title-challenging team is no easy task. There is always a chance the drivers will get in each other’s way. Hamilton has experience of this, given he fought with Fernando Alonso, allowing Kimi Raikkonen to pip them both in the world championship in 2007.

Lewis Hamilton won’t have Michael Schumacher-like experience

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicalli believes Hamilton’s Ferrari move will hardly be reminiscent of the time Michael Schumacher was dominating F1 with the Maranello-based outfit. With Leclerc already a household name among Ferrari fans, Domenicalli claimed the Monegasque driver will never accept the role of a secondary driver. He added that Schumacher had absolute dominance, with Eddie Irvine being a clear second choice. However, it might not be the same for Hamilton and Leclerc.

There is no doubt that Hamilton is moving to Ferrari in hopes of winning an eighth championship. He doesn’t just want to drive off into the sunset with an iconic team via the move. Meanwhile, touted to be Ferrari’s next champion, Leclerc is yet to deliver on the expectations of the Tifosi.

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Given his experience, Hamilton could be the lead driver in Ferrari. Leclerc still needs time to fine-tune the smaller details of the sport. However, after years of being the supposed ‘lead’ driver at Ferrari, Leclerc might not be too happy with the move.

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Lewis Hamilton, at the age of 40, will make a move to Ferrari in what many term the biggest driver transfer of all time. However, with his last two years in F1 being rather quiet, some have questioned whether he is too old to compete at the highest level, be it at Mercedes or Ferrari. F1’s CEO Stefano Domenicali, however, believes that Hamilton has lost none of his talent.

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Hamilton has been at Mercedes since 2013 and won 6 world titles with the Brackley-based team. However, his last two years in F1 (including the current campaign), have been difficult. Mercedes have failed to cope well with the ground-effect regulation changes of 2022, leading to a fall in the pecking order. So, the Briton, who is still in pursuit of an eighth world title overall, decided to join a team that is most likely to win the title after Red Bull – Ferrari.

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Domenicali feels that Hamilton still has what it takes to be a top driver. The F1 boss, who is present at almost every race revealed (as quoted by NextGen Auto), “Hamilton has lost nothing of his talent and is always thirsty for success.”

Mercedes, Hamilton’s home for over a decade has frustrated Hamilton a lot with their inferior mechanical package as of late. The 39-year-old has been complaining about the car for over two years now. Unfortunately, nothing seems to be improving.

Lewis Hamilton’s future away from Mercedes

Mercedes’ struggles seem to be never-ending. Since 2022, the best minds at the team have worked hard at trying to find a permanent solution to their problems. But every time they take a step forward, a lingering issue comes up hindering their performance.

One of the major things the Silver Arrows have failed to master is their aerodynamic prowess. The Mercedes W15 is very slow in the high-speed corners, affecting Hamilton and George Russell’s pace in both qualifying and the race.

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Hamilton often insisted that he trusted Mercedes, and expected them to come up with a solution that could help them compete for race wins again. However, with time running out for the Stevenage-born driver, he decided to fulfill a personal dream of his and move to Ferrari.

The Maranello-based outfit is also glory-starved, having last won a title in 2008. Hamilton would like to end both his wait for a championship and also the Tifosi. It will be a partnership that on paper, could lead to a happy ending for both.

IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

The popularity of F1 seems to be growing rapidly, especially in the United States. Thanks to Drive to Survive, the sport tapped into the American audiences, with a plethora of A-list celebs also joining the bandwagon. Global icon and music producer DJ Khaled is one entity who has completely immersed himself in the world of F1. Taking his fandom above and beyond, DJ Khaled recently purchased an F1 Ferrari car, once driven by Charles Leclerc.

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The $80 million worth music producer took to social media platform TikTok to showcase his latest purchase. He uploaded a video of the Ferrari car alongside his two sons, Asahd and Aalam. X user Bryson Sullivan confirmed that the model of the car was the SF71H, which Ferrari featured in the 2018 season. However, the car is painted in the style of the SF90, along with the number ’16’ imprinted on it, which is the same as Leclerc‘s.

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An enthused Khaled showed off the car with his sons, who featured in the video wearing matching Ferrari t-shirts. He made it a point to specify that the car was a real F1 car and not a replica. Both children were busy playing with the car, especially Khaled’s younger son, Aalam. The 4-year-old was busy trying to climb on the car but was having a hard time finding the right balance.

Notably, this isn’t DJ Khaled’s only encounter with the F1 world. Hailing from Miami, the record producer was also present in the paddock at the Miami GP in 2023. Sky F1’s Martin Brundle had a chat with the 48-year-old during one of his famous gridwalks. Khaled was once again at his enthusiastic best, as he claimed God planned to have him visit the race.

Charles Leclerc isn’t the only F1 driver to have a celebrity fan

During the Netflix Cup in 2023, Mark Wahlberg was spotted in the audience as F1 and Golf stars played the tournament. Wahlberg’s star power had nothing to do with his presence in the audience. Instead, it was his daughter, who had a crush on McLaren’s Lando Norris, that brought Wahlberg along. The ace Hollywood actor confessed his daughter reeled him in through Drive to Survive. The series led to Wahlberg’s daughter being left mesmerized by the 24-year-old.

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Wahlberg once revealed a heartwarming gesture he made for his daughter. Upon learning about the race in Vegas last year, Wahlberg’s daughter expected him to take her. Intrigued by the sudden interest, he asked his daughter the reason behind the sudden interest. In response, all she said was that they could only support McLaren if they went.

A quick search on the web browser answered all of Wahlberg’s questions about his daughter’s sudden liking of F1 and McLaren. Wahlberg went above and beyond to ensure Norris’ F1 car gets delivered to their doorstep, making for a truly unforgettable moment for his daughter. It was a true testament to the lengths a parent would be willing to reach to ensure the happiness of their child or children.

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At the 2024 Australian Grand Prix, Logan Sargeant encountered a unique situation when he had to step out of his car to accommodate Alex Albon. With one car damaged beyond repair and the unavailability of a spare chassis, Sargeant became an unfortunate victim. In the latest development, F1 Journalist Will Buxton has revealed on Twitter (now X) that Sargeant will now be driving the repaired chassis in Japan.

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Buxton revealed that Sargeant has confirmed the news himself. The American will be using the repaired chassis that was formerly used by Albon. Meanwhile, Albon will have the luxury of driving an undamaged chassis in Japan. As things stand, the claim is that the repair job on the chassis went better than expected, and there aren’t any issues Williams can foresee.

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Alex Albon had a horror start to the Australian GP weekend, with the Thai driver crashing out in FP1. His chassis was damaged beyond repair, meaning the car would be unable to run again. To make matters worse, Williams did not carry a spare chassis with them. This meant only Sargeant’s car would be available on the weekend. A curious decision meant Sargeant had to pay the ultimate price by having to make way for Albon to drive in his place.

Explaining the decision to put Albon in Sargeant’s car in Australia, James Vowles claimed that he had to use his best driver. He claimed that Albon has held the advantage over Sargeant every step of the way in 2024. He added the Thai driver was their best shot at scoring points. Hence, “you have to put your best statistical chance of scoring a point in.” Ironically, Albon finished in P11, just outside the points.

Fans demand more respect for Logan Sargeant

While fans looked at the antics of the Australian Grand Prix as injustice for Sargeant, the latest development sees them take it as straight disrespect of the driver. People flocked to X to showcase their dissatisfaction with the move, calling out the ‘disgrace’ from the team.

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One fan pointed out how Williams were losing their lovable image.

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Another called out Williams for their treatment of Sargeant.

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Several more fans came in support of the 23-year-old.

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With no spare chassis available until Miami, it looks likely that the injustice with Sargeant might continue. Despite having a poor season in 2023, the American deserves much better treatment than what he is currently getting. Furthermore, the continued disrespect of the 23-year-old may not sit well with the American sponsors of the team. It could lead to added financial woes for Williams, who are in dire need of more money.