Logan Sargeant has had a disastrous 2023 campaign as he is the only driver who has competed in every race this season and still failed to score a point. Moreover, to make things worse, the American also tops the list in an unfortunate stat. As per a recent report, the 22-year-old has cost his Williams team the most in damages for crashes. The report states that the Wantage-based outfit have had to pay a whopping 2% of $135,000,000, which equals $2,794,000, just to repair Sargeant’s cars this season. Despite the same, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes that Williams are unlikely to sack their driver.
The speculations surrounding Sargeant’s future have increased all the more recently after Liam Lawson has delivered some outstanding performances in just the few races he has competed in so far. Several F1 experts have already suggested that the New Zealander perhaps should replace the struggling Sargeant at Williams. Since Lawson has been so impressive, Sargeant can no longer play the rookie card either.
Estimated F1 crash damages, 2023:
1st) Sargeant – $2.794,000
2nd) Stroll – $2.292,000
3rd) Perez – $2.109,000
4th) Gasly – $1.686,000
5th) Piastri – $1.634,000
6th) Sainz – $1.587,000
7th) Leclerc – $1.539,000
8th) Ocon – $1.522,000
9th) Zhou – $1,082,000[Via u/basspro24chevy]
— formularacers (@formularacers_) September 18, 2023
Even though there has been such a huge difference in form between the two drivers, Horner does not believe that Lawson can get the second seat at Williams. The 49-year-old made these remarks soon after AlphaTauri confirmed that Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo will race for them in the 2024 season.
Liam Lawson unlikely to replace Logan Sargeant at Williams
Liam Lawson has been extremely impressive in the three races he has competed in so far as he has scored two of the five points that AlphaTauri have scored all season. His first points in F1 came last weekend at the Singapore Grand Prix when he finished ninth.
Despite having impressed many, he has surprisingly failed to secure a race seat for next season as things stand. The only possibility that the New Zealander has of securing a race seat is if Williams decide to replace Logan Sargeant with him. However, according to Christian Horner, it seems that opportunity is not available for the 21-year-old.
As quoted by it.motorsport.com, Horner said, “I think there is only one seat left available (the one in Williams), and we have already loaned drivers to other teams in the past. We did it with Sainz when we sent him on loan to Renault. But I think that next year, Liam won’t race in Formula 1. So he will have a lot to do with other things“.
However, with Lawson having showcased his potential, there is a possibility that he could end up leaving the Red Bull family to seek better opportunities for his future. At the moment, Horner has made it clear that the New Zealander will continue to fulfill his role as a reserve driver for AlphaTauri.
Lawson not willing to be a reserve driver again
Soon before AlphaTauri confirmed that Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo will race for them next season, Liam Lawson had made it clear that he would not be happy to be a reserve driver again. While speaking to the media ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, the 21-year-old said (as quoted by espn.in), “I wouldn’t be happy to go back to being reserve“.
However, the New Zealander did admit that he is aware of how difficult it is to make it to F1. Since AlphaTauri have confirmed their driver line-up for next season, Lawson will once again need to ensure that he keeps both Tsunoda and Ricciardo on their toes to step in if an opportunity becomes available.
