The American ran wide at the high-speed Dunlop Curve left-hander and having put his right-hand side wheels on the grass, he lost control and spun into the barrier.
He hit with both the front and rear, damaging the suspension and cracking the gearbox of the FW46.
Fortunately the chassis, which was shipped back to the UK and repaired after team-mate Alex Albon’s FP1 crash in Australia, escaped intact. The team still does not have a spare on hand.
Sargeant was forced to miss FP2 as the mechanics undertook repairs. However, a damp track meant that little meaningful running was completed by anyone, so Sargeant didn’t miss out through the lost track time.
Nevertheless it was another expensive incident for the team, especially with a second gearbox damaged in two events.
“I put the car into place I didn't realise I was at,” Sargeant admitted. “It's a bit of a silly error, to be honest, one that I shouldn't be making, especially in P1.
“But yeah, fortunately it wasn't like the mistakes last year, it wasn't an over-pushing thing, but nevertheless still left the team with some damage. Fortunately got away better than it could have been.”
Source: Autosport