Williams Chief Opens Up On 'Incredibly Tough' Logan Sargeant Exit - 'Almost Unfair On Him' To Continue

Williams chief James Vowles discusses the difficult decision to replace Logan Sargeant mid-season due to performance issues.

Jun 18, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Williams driver Logan Sargeant (USA) parades and salutes the crowd before the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports / David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports

Williams Racing Team Principal James Vowles has opened up about the "incredibly tough" decision to part ways with driver Logan Sargeant mid-season. As the Formula 1 season advances, Sargeant has been replaced by Franco Colapinto for the last nine races of 2024 due to a culmination of performance issues, marking an abrupt end to the American driver's tenure with the team.

Vowles, known for his open approach, revealed to the media, as reported by Motorsport:

"If you speak to every team principal up and down the pitlane, no one wants to change a driver mid-season. It's horrible. It is incredibly tough on the driver, it is tough on the team, it is disruptive.

"So why change it now? The cleanest point to have done it would have been at the beginning of the year. But Logan at the end of last year was starting to get within a tenth of Alex and starting to be close. 

"It was good to see his progression, and if that progression continued we would have the driver I think in a very strong place this year. It didn't feel like the right point to cut ties and sever ties as a result of it. 

"So the reason now is straightforward, we've had enough experience to know that he's reached the limit of what he's able to achieve. In fact, it's almost unfair on him furthermore continuing that. 

"Look at his face when he gets out of the car, he's given you everything he possibly can and it's not enough. He absolutely never from a human perspective did anything but give me 100% of what he was able to do. 

"But the realisation of where he is on his limits now is very clear, it's clear to everyone."

The anticipated continuous improvement did not materialize, leading Vowles to make the final decision of Sargeant's exit.

"What I wanted to do is give what I thought was sufficient time for [Sargeant] to demonstrate where he is on tracks that I know we can perform at. 

"Early in the year, there was a responsibility on us to build a fast enough car. We did not. 

"From Zandvoort onwards, I believe we have built a car that is capable of points now and that's where the decision point changes.

"And in the case of it, it really did happen after the race on Sunday and I dug through his data with enough detail to see where he was performance-wise, what was happening. 

"And it wasn't one area, there was a lack still of time management, there was a lack of pace, and where he finished was just too far back."