After 8 years without a driver, Logan Sargeant will put the USA on the F1 grid. The Williams driver will become the first American since Alexander Rossi in 2015 to feature in an F1 race.
Sargeant grew up in Florida and had been participating in motorsports events since the age of 8. But after a few years in karting, the youngster had to make a daring move to shift to Europe to bolster his racing career.
But moving to the other side of the pond at an early age meant the driver had a lot of sacrifices. At the start, Sargeant describes his route as rather ‘lonely’, but things had to be done to realise his goal.
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Logan Sargeant on moving to Europe early on
After winning a few karting championships as a kid, Sargeant already dreamed of racing in Formula 1. But to achieve it, he had to move to Europe at the early age of 12.
He shared, “I moved to Europe when I was 12 to start on the European karting scene. I did move with my family initially. But, they lived with me only for the first couple of years in Europe.”
Sargeant spent most of his teens alone in school. After winning the 2015 karting Championships and the 2016 WSK Champions Cup, he would progress to Formula Renault, F3 and F2 in the coming years.
Logan claims that moving to Europe was necessary to develop him. At the time, the US did not boast a proper junior racing infrastructure for young drivers to progress into F1. And racing in Europe was necessary to make it to the top.
He added, “We were looking for where the best competition was, and it was always Europe. That was all you heard and that was where you have to be if you want to go against the best.”
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Sargeant describes the loneliness of racing in Europe
Being one of the only Americans on the grid wasn’t easy for Logan Sargeant. He claims he missed his family and friends in Florida and often wanted to return home.
But the driver bore through the 5000-mile separation and felt the struggle was worth it. He said, “It was difficult at times, a bit lonely, but it was obviously worth it in the end.”
Today the USA is one of the biggest markets for Formula 1. The sport has exploded in popularity recently and will host three races in Miami, Austin, and Las Vegas. And Sargeant claims it’s great to see the overwhelming fan following for the sport.
Logans shared, “It’s a completely different world now in terms of America. Everyone knows what Formula 1 is now over there. It’s nice to see the transition and hopefully, it keeps growing.”
Sargeant will make his debut in F1 alongside Alex Albon. And we can’t wait to see him return to race on home soil ending America’s 16-year wait for its first full-time F1 driver since Scott Speed.
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