Formula 1

The learning curve of Logan Sargeant: The challenges and progress of a rookie in F1

Published

2 months ago

10/04/2023

In the highly competitive world of Formula 1, rookie drivers are under immense pressure to perform, especially those who have been given their seat due to fortunate circumstances. Logan Sargeant is one such driver, who was appointed by Williams’ previous management team after contractual complications arose. Despite this, Sargeant has shown promise in his first three races and has demonstrated that he has the pace to compete with his more experienced rivals.

Although he has yet to qualify for Q2 or finish in the points, Sargeant has quietly made a strong start to his Formula 1 career, and his team principal, James Vowles, has emphasized that he earned his place at Williams based on merit.

The learning curve of Logan Sargeant: The challenges and progress of a rookie in F1

However, fans of American drivers still have reason to be interested. Logan Sargeant may not have impressive numbers on paper, but he has quietly made a strong start to his Formula 1 career.

Despite not having the best equipment, the Williams FW45 has demonstrated enough speed to compete for points finishes.

Although Sargeant has yet to advance from Q1 in qualifying or finish a race higher than 12th, the 22-year-old driver has shown promise beyond what his results indicate.

When rookies make their debut in Formula 1, they are under immense pressure.

Logan Sargeant has even more reason to feel uneasy, as he was given his seat by the previous management team led by Jost Capito. Furthermore, Sargeant’s appointment was only made possible due to contractual complications resulting from Fernando Alonso joining Aston Martin and Oscar Piastri signing with McLaren.

Initially, Alpine intended to place Piastri at Williams for a year or two. While it would be unfair to say that Sargeant was given the seat by default, he did require some luck for the opportunity to arise.

Fortunately for Sargeant, the new Williams team principal, James Vowles, was already familiar with him. While best known for his role as the former Mercedes strategy chief, Vowles also oversaw the team’s young driver program.

He first encountered Sargeant during a simulator evaluation. Although Mercedes passed on him, it was not because Sargeant was seen as a poor prospect, but rather because his age did not fit well within the team’s junior driver portfolio.

Vowles has since acknowledged that Williams was right to recruit Sargeant and that he was mistaken in his initial assessment. While it is likely that Mercedes would have signed Sargeant if he had stood out as a potential superstar, he was still considered a driver with potential.

James Vowles has emphasized that Logan Sargeant earned his place at Williams based on merit. The team provided funding for his Formula 2 campaign last year, and he is currently receiving a substantial salary to race for them in 2023.

Despite being the nephew of billionaire Harry Sargeant III, many have mistakenly labeled Logan as a pay driver. However, this is not the case. If he were a pay driver, he would not have competed for the less competitive Charouz team in Formula 3 in 2021.

Without Williams, Logan’s single-seater career might have come to an end by now.

For Williams, the most important factor is performance, and although Logan Sargeant’s junior single-seater career didn’t result in many titles, he has won numerous races at various levels including F4, F3, and F2.

This was preceded by an exceptional karting career, making him a driver who entered Formula 1 with potential, albeit not a sure thing.

Since joining Williams in October, Logan Sargeant has shown considerable progress, according to Williams’ head of vehicle performance, Dave Robson.

Robson stated that Sargeant has been on a steep learning curve even before being given the race drive and was well-prepared for pre-season testing due to his hard work over the winter.

According to Dave Robson, “When we first met Logan Sargeant, he seemed quite intimidated by the whole experience.” However, as he progressed through the P1 sessions, worked in the factory and simulator, and got to know everyone over the winter, he began to feel more comfortable.

Robson and the team spent hours talking to him about various topics, which can sometimes bore racing drivers, but Sargeant was attentive and absorbed it all. This gave him the opportunity to understand how the team operates and thinks. By the time they arrived in Bahrain for testing, Sargeant was fully engaged and comfortable with the team.

One of the most notable moments of Logan Sargeant’s season so far, albeit a low point, was his collision with Nyck De Vries at the final standing restart in Australia.

This incident occurred because Sargeant was caught off guard by the cold tires and brakes. Although he was not penalized for the mistake, he expressed regret and apologized for it. On a positive note, his other two races have been clean, and his standout moment was an impressive first lap in Bahrain where he demonstrated confidence and decisiveness.

Like many rookie drivers, tire management is an area where Logan Sargeant needs to improve. While he is familiar with the basic characteristics of Pirelli tires from his time in F3 and F2, the level of detail required in F1 tire understanding is much greater, making it a challenging learning curve for newcomers.

Additionally, he experienced difficulties with graining on the medium compound tires in Australia, although he was not the only driver to encounter this issue.

Logan Sargeant has shown flashes of his speed during qualifying, but these have not been fully realized yet. In Bahrain, he posted a time that was fast enough to qualify for Q2, but he did not progress due to McLaren driver Lando Norris setting an identical lap time earlier in the session.

This was despite Sargeant being caught off guard by changing wind conditions and making a mistake that cost him time.

During the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Logan Sargeant’s first Q1 lap time was sufficient to qualify for Q2. However, he made an error by drifting onto the painted Qatar Airways logo separating the main straight from the pit entry, resulting in disqualification.

Sargeant did not respond well to this setback, making a mistake on the push lap of his second run and subsequently going off at the first corner of the push lap on his unexpected third run. He also hit the wall at the end of that incident, leaving him stranded trackside without a time set. Despite this, he appeared to have an advantage over teammate Alexander Albon during the Q1 session.

Dave Robson acknowledged that a small mistake by Logan Sargeant at the pit entry resulted in an unfortunate session for the rookie driver.

He explained that it’s easy for such incidents to occur and that it’s crucial for drivers to remain calm in those situations and capitalize on future opportunities. This is a common experience for rookies who are playing with narrow margins in Formula 1.

In Australia, Logan Sargeant did not possess the same level of speed as his teammate Alexander Albon, but he had the pace to qualify for Q2. Unfortunately, a moment at the penultimate corner where the rear of the car stepped out resulted in him missing out on Q2.

This pattern of having pace but not putting it all together in qualifying due to errors that need to be resolved is evident. However, as a newcomer with only three races under his belt, this is part of the learning process. If Sargeant had demonstrated the same speed he showed in qualifying during one of the first three races, he might have converted it into a points finish.

Logan Sargeant is still adjusting to working with the team to achieve the car balance he desires. He has been somewhat surprised by his struggles in high-speed corners compared to his teammate Albon, given that this has been a historically strong area for Sargeant.

This was evident in Australia, where he consistently lost time to Albon in the fast Turn 9/10 sweep. However, with time and experience, Sargeant should be able to improve in this area.

The unexpected break in the season due to the cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix provides Logan Sargeant with an opportunity to reflect and re-evaluate his performance.

He can use this time to prepare for the upcoming race in Baku with the goal of having a more successful weekend. Even after his experience in Australia, he has a clear understanding of what he needs to accomplish, particularly given the sprint format that allows for just one practice session before the race.

Logan Sargeant expressed his gratitude for having competed in Baku before in Formula 2 last year, which should make things a little easier for him.

However, he acknowledges that it will still be a challenge, and he needs to step up to the plate quickly and take it one step at a time.

Logan Sargeant has demonstrated that he has the pace to succeed in Formula 1. While he may not have the same level of recognition as Colton Herta due to his limited experience in the junior categories, he is showing potential to establish himself in the sport.

The key for Sargeant is to build upon his promising start, which has been good, but also frustrating due to some errors and missed opportunities.

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