Logan Sargeant is understood to be at risk of losing his Williams seat.
Logan Sargeant must produce results if he is to convince Williams that he deserves a contract extension. Despite James Vowles consistently defending the American driver’s performances last season, his future at the team is not guaranteed. A combination of factors indicates that Williams is looking at other options in the market.
Sargeant’s rookie campaign was far from easy, as evidenced by the discrepancies in the points between the Williams duo. Whilst Alex Albon secured the lion’s share of points and pushed the team into 7th place, the American only managed one point last season. This top result came at the American GP, following the disqualifications of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc post-race.
Regardless, this singular point was timely. After a series of mistakes in Zandvoort and Japan, Sargeant was badly in need of a result. Despite failing to qualify ahead of Alex Albon at any stage in 2023, team principal James Vowles was adamant that Sargeant’s progress was considerable. With this knowledge, Williams kept an unchanged driver pairing for this season.
Logan Sargeant under pressure
However, this vote of confidence quickly dissipated at the Australian GP. In a now very well-documented saga, the 23-year-old was withdrawn from the weekend after Friday practice. The decision was made by James Vowles, who determined that – despite Alex Albon crashing and destroying his only available chassis – the best team decision was to put the Thai driver in the car for Saturday and Sunday.
This decision was met with widespread criticism online. To rub salt into the wounds, Williams failed to score points in Melbourne – whilst rivals Haas F1 Team put both cars in the points. Although this saga generated a lot of public goodwill towards Sargeant, it did little to help his confidence. Similarly, it largely undermined the positive rhetoric from the team in 2023.
Unfortunately for Sargeant, his weekend in Japan was not much smoother. A crash in Free Practice was followed by a mistake in the race, putting him well outside of points. Even before this year’s campaign, James Vowles emphasised that Sargeant needed to make a meaningful step forward. The Williams boss emphasised that his efforts from last season would not be sufficient to keep his seat for 2025. In this context, the American’s run of form is far from ideal.
Williams exploring alternatives
Reports indicate that Williams is evaluating alternatives in the market ahead of 2025. This is hardly a surprise, considering the volume of high-calibre drivers available. Several options could bolster the team’s line-up in Formula 1 and Formula 2.
Putting aside the relatively unlikely possibility of Mercedes sending Kimi Antonelli to Grove for a season or two, James Vowles could turn to more experienced drivers – including former Williams driver Valtteri Bottas. The 10-time race winner could be replaced as Audi begins to stamp its authority in Sauber’s lineup. If Sauber does not retain him, the seasoned veteran will become.
Although it is tricky to decipher how likely a line-up change is at Williams, there is no doubt that Logan Sargeant needs to deliver results quickly. Both Formula 2 talents and established drivers could add value to a team fighting in a hyper-competitive midfield.
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