In his second year in Formula 1, Logan Sargeant hasn’t really improved so far. Last year he was already struggling and was rumoured to be replaced ahead of 2024. But Williams re-signed with him.
Joined Williams in 2023
Image: Getty
Sargeant stepped up into Formula 1 in 2023, replacing Nicholas Latifi at Williams. He joined Alex Albon who is part of the team since 2022, where is replaced George Russell. Russell departed for Mercedes next to Lewis Hamilton.
Before his F1 career kicked off, Sargeant had a great run through the junior categories. He finished fourth in the 2022 Formula 2 campaign. With Latifi leaving Williams, fans were backing the American to replace the Canadian.
High hopes, low performance Part One
His qualifying perfomance in 2023 was just not good enough. He was outqualified by Albon on all 22 occasions plus three sprint qualifyings. An average quali-gap to Albon was over half a second, which is too much. The only occasion were he entered Q3 without crashing was in Las Vegas, where he finished on a sensational seventh place.
But in the race, Sargeant was at least a bit consistent. He had good pace but still was behind Albon most of the time. Six DNF‘s in total and only one point to his account. Meanwhile, Albon scored a total of 27 points and finished thirteenth in the standings.
His renewal was on one side due to no alternatives on the driver market. And with a year of experience in F1, hopes were high that he might be able to get better.
High hopes, low performance Part Two
Well, well, well. The hopes were a bit too high then. Sargeant is still underperforming. He finished no race in the points and wasn’t even close to do so. Albon - despite his struggles - was able to score two points after ten races. Sargeant is 21st in the standings.
In qualifying, the American driver improved slightly, or at least he is closer to the drivers ahead. He finished P13 in quali for the Canadian GP, his highest quali finish so far.
In Australia, Sargeant had to give his car to Alex Albon who crashed his own car in practice. A decision which wasn’t really welcomed by the fans. However, Albon was able to finish 11th in the race.
Sargeant‘s time is over
“Why”, you may ask. Performance and consistency. These two factors play a huge role in this situation. It’s a no-brainer that Logan Sargeant is a good driver. But he seems to be overwhelmed. Formula 1 is evolving quickly and drivers need to adapt accordingly.
Image: XPB
Williams want to become a midfield team again who are constantly fight for points with both drivers. With Alex Albon, they already have a driver who capable of doing so. Now it’s Williams‘ task to find another consistent driver.
What‘s next for him?
IndyCar. Simple as that. He is already linked with the American single seater series and would fit in it, purely because he is American.
According to rumours, Prema Racing has already signed an agreement with Sargeant for a drive in 2025. The Italian team is joining IndyCar next year and are currently searching for drivers. So why not Sargeant?
Another category would be endurance racing. But it depends on Sargeant if he is willing to do that. Either IMSA in the United States or WEC for races around the world.
Who could be his successor?
Image: XPB
Now there are a few potential candidates to replace Sargeant at Williams since the driver market is wide open. There are still a few seats to be filled.
• Sainz: This is probably the most realistic option so far. Many rumours say that Sainz has already signed with Williams for the upcoming season. How true these rumours are is a different question. And Alpine is also in talks with the Spaniard…
• Bottas: It’s not certain if Bottas continues on with Sauber. His contract is ending at the end of this year. A few races ago, he was seen going into the Williams hospitality, speaking with team principal James Vowles.
• Antonelli: No doubt the Italian supertalent is on Williams‘ list to replace Sargeant. However, Antonelli is being strongly linked with the free Mercedes seat which Lewis Hamilton has left. Toto Wolff wants him in that seat next year!
• Ocon: A move to Williams seems to be out of reach so far. But it’s possible. The Frenchman leaves Alpine at the end of this year and is a free agent. So why no move to Williams? At the moment, Haas has the upper hand.