Williams clarify participation at F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix amid crash damage rumour
Crash damage is felt but Williams set the record straight
Williams have rejected claims that they could miss next weekend’s F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The Formula 1 team have set the record straight after unsubstantiated rumours that crash damage, accrued through the past few rounds, could force them to skip the event.
“I’ve just chatted to Williams,” F1 reporter Lawrence Barretto confirmed on social media.
“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.”
Commentator Will Buxton added: “Seems James Vowles’ honesty in the knock on effects of the Brazilian GP have been taken to some ridiculous extremes over the past few days.
“Team won’t miss Vegas. Team will have both cars.”
The F1 2024 season is set to conclude with a triple-header, beginning next weekend in Las Vegas.
But in Brazil and Mexico, the recent two rounds, Williams suffered a combined five crashes.
Those incidents are inevitably costly for the team’s cash reserves, and demanding on the factory in terms of spare parts sent to the next races.
Williams boss James Vowles had admitted the impact of their numerous crashes had been felt.
"There is no team on the grid that can cope with five major accidents in two race weekends,” Vowles said.
“Simply the matter of spares we carry are not sufficient to carry that amount of attrition.”
But he vowed: "Vegas, I have high hopes for.
“We were fast there last year and I am confident the car will work well in those conditions.
“So we will do our absolute utmost to get two cars to the best specification they can be, with sufficient spares around us to make that happen.”
All eyes will again be on Williams’ driver Franco Colapinto who has starred in F1 since becoming a mid-season replacement for the underachieving Logan Sargeant.
Williams have signed Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, to race alongside Alex Albon in 2025, meaning they have no room for Colapinto.
Colapinto has been linked with a race seat with Red Bull, either in their main team or their sister team, and his future remains unresolved.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
