MELBOURNE, Australia -- The Williams team has been left to sweat on the status of Alex Albon's car after he crashed heavily in the opening practice for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.
Albon was unhurt in the crash through the middle sector of the track, but the severity of the damage inflicted on his car meant he missed the day's second practice session.
Although the severity of the damage has not yet been revealed, Williams has confirmed to ESPN it does not have a spare chassis in Melbourne.
Asked about the accident after Friday practice, Albon said: "I was just exploring a little bit, went a bit wide, had a bit of an aggressive kind of curb strike and it lifted up the front.
"I honestly didn't think anything of it at the time, I thought OK it's fine, I'll just back out, and let the car land, but when I did land, I bottomed out pretty badly, and when it bottomed out, it just kind of spat me. So, frustrating.
"And obviously just feel bad for everyone back at the factory and here at the track. Did a lot of damage, so let's see if we can get it repaired."
He added that Williams' initial assessment of the damage had not been promising.
"There's not much that can be salvaged, if I'm honest," Albon said. "So we're going through it now, looking at where the damage is.
"It's going to be tricky, that's for sure. Obviously very frustrating for that reason. Honestly, I won't be able to tell you until a bit later on today."
If Albon's existing chassis is damaged, it could leave the British team with just one car to compete for the rest of the weekend. That in itself could create a headache for team boss James Vowles.
In that scenario, the remaining chassis could be transferred onto Albon's car or left with his teammate, America's Logan Sargeant.
While Albon was the one who crashed, the team will be more confident about scoring points with the Thai driver at the wheel -- Albon scored 27 points in 2023, while Sargeant managed just one.
With the bottom five teams slightly adrift of the top five in terms of pace, points for Williams and its rivals are likely to come at a premium in 2024.
Australia's Albert Park circuit has been known as a venue which can throw up surprising results, meaning Williams might be wary of going into the race with Albon on the sidelines.