Why Williams team principal James Vowles takes responsibility for Logan Sargeant’s accident at the Zandvoort Formula One race
Lap 15 in the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort: Williams driver Logan Sargeant loses control of his FW45 exiting turn 8, flies off and hits the track barrier. His race is over immediately. According to Williams team boss James Vowles, however, it was not a driving error, but: “Logan’s accident is on us. “
In a video analysis of the Formula 1 race in Zandvoort, Vowles further explains: “We recognised a kerb contact [on the accident lap], but he had already been on this line a few laps before. But what’s interesting is: On that particular lap we lost pressure in the hydraulics.”
In the car, hydraulic pressure is measured in different places, says Vowles. And in Sargeant’s case at turn 8, he says, the entire circuit suddenly collapsed. “That usually indicates a major fault,” Vowles says. “And that’s exactly what happened. “
Why Sargeant had been “just a passenger “
The explanation that the (lack of) hydraulic pressure was responsible for the accident “may sound strange”, Vowles admits. “But, for example, the power steering in this situation is operated by hydraulics. With hydraulic pressure, the driver has it much easier. The same goes for gear shifting or operating the clutch,” Vowles explains.
In the specific situation, a “catastrophic and immediate loss of hydraulics” had occurred and caused Sargeant’s departure. “That means whatever Logan was doing, he couldn’t turn the steering wheel,” Vowles says. “He was just a passenger.”
That is why, in the aftermath of the Dutch Grand Prix, Williams is dealing with the “big question” of why, Vowles adds. “Why did a fault occur that caused a loss of pressure in the hydraulic system? And, what can we do about it before we compete at Monza and Singapore?” The Williams team boss did not present a solution in his video.
Sargeant had had two accidents at Zandvoort: he had already crashed in qualifying on Saturday, then in the race on Sunday the crash described here. The US American is the only full-time driver in the 2023 Formula 1 season who has not yet scored any championship points. His Williams team-mate Alexander Albon is in P13 in the drivers’ standings with 15 points.
