Qualifying in Japan was halted on Saturday after American Logan Sargeant was shunted into the barriers, a sentence all too familiar to the dispirited rookie this season.
Sargeant’s Williams was left a crumpled mess after bogging down at the final corner at Suzuka and failing to avoid hitting the tire wall on the straight.
The 22-year-old is the only driver left on the grid whose 2024 seat has not been confirmed, although early indications are that his position is not in danger.
However, yesterday’s crash – one of many we have seen this season – will not do his confidence any good.
He emerged from his car in one piece, but left his Williams team with a huge repair job for Sunday’s race.
Logan Sargeant crashed into the barriers during qualifying for the Grand Prix in Japan
Sargeant’s Williams was left a crumpled mess after stalling at the final corner at Suzuka
Sargeant has yet to secure a point this season.
Williams team boss James Vowles spoke immediately after the crash, saying: ‘Heartbreaking for Logan, just on the grass and that’s game over.
‘Logan built up this weekend and had a good pace, but I can’t get everything together.
‘Logan has been on an old aerodynamic package for a number of races. We’ve had turnover. We have enough to deal with the accident today. We’ll have enough tonight to rebuild the car.’
Nick de Vryies lost his seat at AlphaTauri because he had not registered.
While his replacement, Liam Lawson, achieved a top ten finish in Singapore in just his fourth Grand Prix.
The session resumed 13 minutes after Sargeant’s crash, with Verstappen chasing pole position after his disappointment in Singapore last week.