Williams Chief Casts Doubt On Logan Sargeant Finishing 2024 F1 season

Williams Racing Team Principal James Vowles has revealed uncertainty about American driver Logan Sargeant's future in the 2024 F1 season.

May 2, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Williams driver Logan Sargeant (2) addresses the media in advance of the Miami Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Williams team chief James Vowles has hinted at significant uncertainty about American driver Logan Sargeant's future with the team for the rest of the 2024 season. As the year progresses, the American driver has notably struggled, consistently trailing behind his teammate, Alex Albon, and has failed to score points in the first 14 rounds.

The year has been fraught with performance concerns for Sargeant, who experienced a setback due to a shortage of spare parts earlier in the season, forcing him to compete with outdated components. Although Williams later rectified this, aligning Sargeant’s and Albon’s car specifications, the results on track did not mirror the technical adjustments, continuing to reflect a disparity in performance.

Despite fleeting moments of promise at Silverstone and Budapest, Sargeant's overall performance has been inconsistent. Addressing these fluctuations, Vowles commented to the media, as quoted by Motorsport Week:

“In terms of where he was, Silverstone, Budapest, he was where we need him to be in terms of growth pattern.

“That’s what I’m looking for. This weekend [Belgium], he’s off the pace. There’s no doubt about it. He’ll say the same thing to you.

“It’s hard to pinpoint why. He’s just found that the car’s been very unpredictable to him from lap to lap, fundamentally.

“The best I can put it to you is, he knows where he needs to be. And where that is, for complete transparency, he has to be matching Alex, pushing Alex along every time.

“And we’re not there yet. All of you know the statistics on qualifying, so it’s as simple as you put them in your head up there.

“But if I also showed you where he was across Budapest, Silverstone, prior to that, you can see there’s good progress.”

With Carlos Sainz slated to replace Sargeant at Williams for the 2025 season, the pressure mounts. Vowles underscored the precariousness of Sargeant’s situation, remarking:

“I think what I’ve said before is this. Earn your place.

“In Silverstone and Budapest, he earned his place. This weekend, I need him to do more in the race weekend, but I’m not going to make a decision from one race to the next.

“What I don’t want to sit here and say is, ‘Logan absolutely has a place nailed for ever being in this situation’. Earn it. As I have to earn my job, as Alex has to earn his job.”

Rejecting rumors of a rift, Vowles clarified the nature of his interactions with Sargeant, confirming his commitment to Sargeant's development regardless of his uncertain future with the team.

“So first, there are odd stories that appear. Logan and myself talk, I’m not going to say daily, but on a race weekend, definitely daily, and outside of that, several times a week.

“Because my job is to do the absolute best that I can for him. Because ultimately, if we’re scoring points, we need both drivers on the same for doing so.

“Second to that, I have a responsibility towards him. He is still going to be a professional racing driver in the future, and he’s still part of Williams in that regard.

“And we have an investment in him. We started it here, it will continue.”