Hill's Simple Formula for Sargeant in F1 Struggles

Damon Hill offers pragmatic advice to Logan Sargeant on tackling early F1 challenges with simplicity.

Damon Hill is uncertain about the advice he should give Logan Sargeant. The Williams F1 driver is experiencing a challenging start to the championship, with a sacrificial position in Australia and two off-track excursions in Japan. The British driver advises him to take it easy and focus on each thing, without wanting too much.

Hill's Simple Formula for Sargeant in F1 Struggles

“There’s not much one can do,” said the 1996 world champion. “There are things you can act on and others you cannot. And the things you can act on are obviously those you should focus on. And that means driving.”

“I think his accident at Suzuka was a sign that he felt he needed to do something brilliant as soon as possible. I think you should not panic, you need to keep a cool head and tell yourself ‘there’s not much you can do’. And you have to drive a bit within yourself.”

“You can’t become Max Verstappen all at once, you need to know yourself. So if he just does a solid job in any race he faces, and puts everything else out of his head, because there’s nothing he can do about it, we’ll see what happens.”

“It’s almost like you need to take it turn by turn, literally, all that matters is doing each turn well. You put them all together and the lap will be better, then you have a better lap and you go from there and have that as a base. You can make things very, very simple, rather than complicated.”

‘Very difficult to surpass oneself’ in a downward spiral

Pedro de la Rosa also advised Sargeant by reminding him that not everything negative that happens is his fault. However, he advises him to redouble his efforts and hopes his team will give him time to improve.

“My best advice would be to work hard, spend many days in the simulator at the factory, make sure there’s no stone unturned on his part and remind him that not all mistakes have been made by him,” said de la Rosa. “We must not forget that the accident in Australia was due to Alex Albon, who destroyed the car.”

“We see many accidents from the Williams drivers, some are unlucky. We focus on Logan Sargeant, but I think he needs a bit of a break. It’s not just him. There have been mistakes, unfortunate race incidents like at Suzuka, which can happen, and you just have to work hard, continue doing what you’re doing.”

“You have to make sure that feeling unhappy or depressed doesn’t lead to working less hard, because it is very difficult to continue surpassing oneself every morning if things aren’t going as one wishes. I am almost sure that fortune will turn.”