Logan Sargeant is fighting tooth and nail to stay in Formula 1. Over the Miami Grand Prix weekend, it emerged that Kimi Antonelli could replace him in the near future.
There were already some indications that Williams could look to parachute Antonelli into F1 following his 18th birthday. But that wouldn’t have been until the Italian Grand Prix following the summer break.
Journalist Joe Saward subsequently raised the possibility that the Grove outfit could seek ‘special dispensation’ to field Antonelli even earlier. FIA rules don’t allow him to obtain a superlicence until he turns 18.
And now James Vowles has lodged that request. Williams have denied the possibility that the Italian could be in the car for the next race in Imola, but it’s clear that they’re considering a swift change to their driver line-up.
Vowles warned Sargeant that he needed to be the ‘surprise of the season’ to keep his drive after an underwhelming rookie year. But he trails Alex Albon 5-0 in qualifying (and 27-0 overall), and 4-1 in the races.
Antonelli, meanwhile, is only three races into his career in Formula 2. But he produced a ‘stunning’ performance in a recent Mercedes test at Imola to convince Vowles of his readiness.
Logan Sargeant refuses to reveal what Williams have told him
In quotes relayed by Motorsport.com Netherlands, Sargeant addressed his Formula 1 future. He feels he’s shown a clear improvement since the bitter setback of the Australian Grand Prix, when Vowles allowed Albon to race in his car after the Thai driver broke one of the team’s two available chassis.
Sargeant saw his home race in Miami ended by Kevin Magnussen, but says he’s growing increasingly comfortable behind the wheel of the FW46. He’ll hope that’s enough to keep his drive for at least the remainder of this year.
“I just do my job the best I can,” he said. “I mean, in FP1 I felt more comfortable than I did earlier in the year and I felt like I was on top straight away.
“And when I look since Australia, I feel like I’m doing relatively well in terms of speed. In Japan I got almost everything out of it.
“Of course China was disappointing, but here I feel like I did well again. I’m just looking for that last tenth of a second. But I’m enjoying it anyway and I’ll keep doing my best.”
Asked if he’d received guarantees around his future in private talks with Vowles, he said: “Those are all internal conversations.”
Will Logan Sargeant lose his seat?
Even if Sargeant manages to hold onto his seat for the rest of 2024 – and that looks increasingly unlikely – it still feels as if the writing is on the wall. It has done, in truth, since the events of Australia.
The 23-year-old has clearly failed to earn the long-term faith of the team. Even Williams employee Jenson Button admitted that they ‘would love’ to see him be ‘more competitive’.
Ralf Schumacher told him he should be ‘worried’ about his future because he continues to make ‘too many mistakes’. One journalist went further still, declaring ‘he’s history’.
The constant struggle at the back of the grid seems to be taking its toll. Sargeant admitted before the race in Miami that he constantly feels ‘tired’ and ‘down on energy’.
Young drivers everywhere dream of reaching Formula 1, but when you’re struggling in this manner, it can be a brutal experience. And Vowles may be about to take yet another ruthless decision.
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