Williams quashes rumors of being unable to take part in the F1 Las Vegas GP
Williams said on Friday that it is all set to race in Las Vegas with both cars amid rumors of their exclusion from the Nevada race. It suffered three major crashes in Brazil, following which rumors began to spread about its inability to compete in the upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix next weekend.
The James Vowles-led team experienced three costly crashes in Sao Paulo amid an enormous shortage of spare parts. It has suffered high-profile crashes throughout the season. It also faced a shortage of funds resulting in financial and logistical strain.
Lawrence Barretto has clarified that rumors about the British team's inability to compete in the upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix are incorrect. The renowned F1 personality took to his official X account to snub the rumors and reveal the truth after having a "chat" with it. Here's what he wrote:
"I’ve just chatted to Williams. They tell me there’s no truth to the chatter they won’t be in Vegas after sustaining massive damage via three crashes in Brazil. They say they’ll have both cars ready to race in Nevada. That’s an incredible effort from the team and suppliers."
The Grove-based team's drivers Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto suffered two major crashes during the Sao Paulo Grand Prix qualifying. While the team was able to prepare Colapinto's car for the race, it had to sit Albon out. Colapinto suffered another crash in the Sunday race for a disastrous weekend for James Vowles and Williams. As per reports, the total cost of three crashes was around $2.46 million.
Williams' boss is optimistic about a powerful return to Las Vegas
Ahead of the 2024 F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix in Nevada, James Vowles said he is optimistic about Williams' chances in Las Vegas. The team boss recalled how it was fast on the same track last year, and banking on that, he is optimistic this time around. Here's what he said:
"There's no team on the grid that can cope with five major accidents in two race weekends. Simply, the amount of spares we carry are not sufficient to carry that amount of attrition. Vegas I have high hopes for, we were fast there last year, and I'm confident we have a car that can work well in those conditions. We're going to do our absolute utmost to get two cars to the best specification that they can be, with sufficient spares around to make that happen."
Williams is currently placed in the P9 of the Constructors' Championship with 17 points after 21 races and five Sprints. It is only ahead of Sauber who is languishing at the bottom in P10 with zero points.