Vowles laments hefty bill for Williams in 2024: 'Teams aren't built to handle six major crashes'

If there was a prize for courage to be awarded in Formula 1 This season we would most likely give it to the mechanics at WilliamsThe British team has had an impressive number of accidents in 2024 with its three drivers, Alexander albon, Logan sargeant and Franco Colapinto. A phenomenon that has even increased since the start of the American tour: since the United States Grand Prix, the English team has had six major accidents (including three in Brazil alone), the latest of which was Franco Colapinto's crash during qualifying for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, an impact measured at 50G.

If the Argentinian's participation had been questioned for a while, the rookie was finally able to take part in the race. However, in Qatar, the South American does not have the latest specifications of parts, unlike Alexander Albon. A consequence of the many and costly accidents experienced by Williams in recent weeks. Inevitably, the bill is seriously starting to be salty at Grove: the estimate of the total cost of the damage during the 2024 season would exceed 10 million dollars, according to some observers.

A considerable sum for a Formula 1 team, especially for a modest structure like Williams, and even more so in the context of the budget cap imposed in the discipline ($135 million in 2024). Before the Qatar Grand Prix, James Vowles, the team's principal, concedes that these additional costs put Williams in a delicate situation, both for the end of the 2024 season and for the following one.

"There's no doubt about it: teams are not designed to deal with six major crashes. We typically keep a parts inventory of about four, maybe five of each component. That's pretty much the norm, so it doesn't take long to realize that once you've crashed five or six, you're in trouble!" explains the British leader. It’s a huge effort from the team on the ground and the factory. I’ve had people working part-time or even in shifts ask me what more they can do. It’s an incredible feeling when you’re part of an organisation that goes above and beyond to make sure we have two cars on the grid every week.”

2025 season already impacted at Williams

In addition to the many accidents suffered at the end of the season, Williams also lost 8th place in the Constructors' standings to Alpine after the French team's incredible double podium at Interlagos. Almost doomed to finish in 9th place - its deficit to Racing Bulls is 29 points before the Qatar Grand Prix - the British team will not get as much money as hoped at the end of the season... and that will inevitably impact the upcoming campaign, according to James Vowles.

“It’s a distraction from 2025, there’s no doubt about that. It’s not so much the case for the 2026 season, but you have to focus on making sure you’re out here on the track and you’re fighting with your competitors around you. Nobody here would have anticipated – I hope – such attrition this late in the season, said the Williams Team Principal. The implication is that we have to take a little bit out of next year's budget cap, that's the frustration behind that. It's a few hundred thousand dollars that I wish we hadn't spent this year and could have spent next year."