Logan Sargeant is facing pressure to retain his position at Williams beyond 2024 in the upcoming Formula 1 season.
The team principal of Williams, James Vowles, has urged Logan Sargeant to astonish the world in his second season in Formula 1. After securing third place in the 2022 Formula 2 championship, Sargeant was promoted to a seat at Williams alongside Alex Albon for the 2023 season. However, Sargeant struggled to achieve favorable results and only managed to secure a single point finish at the United States Grand Prix, finishing in 10th place.
Despite rumors of his potential replacement at the end of the season, Williams decided to retain Sargeant for the 2024 season, where he will once again be partnering with Albon. Vowles expressed his expectations for Sargeant’s performance, emphasizing the need for him to surprise everyone with his physical abilities, approach, and overall performance. Vowles mentioned that significant changes have been made during the winter period, including a different trainer and completely different training methods and programs. He also noted that Sargeant appears to be more confident and carries himself well.
Vowles acknowledged the challenges faced by racing drivers during the off-season and emphasized the importance of approaching the first few days of driving the car with caution. He advised Sargeant to build up gradually and not rush into success, assuring him that success will eventually come. Vowles expressed his confidence in Sargeant’s abilities and highlighted the importance of open discussions that provide an environment for Sargeant to push himself and the team to achieve success.
Sargeant’s confidence took a hit in the second half of the 2023 season after a crash during qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix and a spin in the Sprint at the Qatar Grand Prix. Additionally, Williams shifted their focus to the 2024 season earlier in the year, resulting in Sargeant using an older specification of car compared to Albon. This further widened the performance gap between Sargeant and his teammate.
However, there were glimpses of Sargeant’s potential towards the end of the 2023 season. He managed to qualify in seventh place for the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November. Subsequently, he was promoted to sixth place due to a grid penalty given to Carlos Sainz for changing power unit components after running over a manhole cover during FP1.
Vowles explained that during the year, Sargeant’s car was not in the same specifications as Albon’s due to the team’s focus on the 2024 season. This resulted in Sargeant experiencing a slight performance disadvantage. Towards the end of the year, with the same equipment, Sargeant started to perform better and meet the team’s expectations. Vowles emphasized the need for Sargeant to continue this momentum over the winter period and advised him to approach things progressively rather than trying to extract too much from himself and the car too quickly. The team is hopeful that they have addressed some of the issues from the previous year and that the upcoming season will provide a better platform for Sargeant’s growth.
According to the Source total-motorsport.com