Lia Block Recalls Logan Sargeant’s Invaluable Tips That Helped Her Avoid Crashing an F1 Car

Logan Sargeant has earned a reputation for being one of the most crash-prone drivers in F1. Ironically, the Williams driver once gave advice that helped F1 Academy driver, Lia Block avoid crashing an F1 car.

Lia recently attended the Goodwood Festival of Speed alongside the Williams team members including team principal James Vowles, Alex Albon, and Sargeant. That’s where she got her first experience behind the wheel of an F1 car.

In a recent conversation on ‘The Fast and The Curious’ podcast, Lia spoke about one of the most challenging parts of the Goodwood hill climb. It’s an immediate left turn that comes right after an uphill section and is hidden from the driver’s view by the crest of the hill. This section tends to catch drivers off guard, especially in an F1 car, which sits much lower to the ground than normal vehicles.

Block mentioned that Sargeant had specifically warned her about this tricky section. “The braking zone comes up really quick when you’re really low to the ground in an F1 car”, Block said about the lefthander.

“So people get caught out there a lot because they don’t see the braking zone or brake too late… I don’t know if anybody crashed there this year, but yeah that was a pretty good one [advice] he gave me.”

Reflecting on her overall experience at Goodwood, Block mentioned that it was incredibly positive and exciting. For her, the chance to connect with the heritage of Williams and then take on the famous hill climb at Goodwood was both thrilling and memorable.

Sargeant had a major crash in the Netherlands ahead of qualifying

While his advice may have helped Lia Block prevent any crashes, Sargeant himself has had a rough time keeping his own car out of the barriers. A 2023 report by Sports Illustrated noted that Sargeant was the most expensive driver on the grid that year, costing Williams Racing a staggering $4.33 million in crash damages.

His track record of accidents has continued into the 2024 season, with multiple crashes already under his belt. The most recent incident occurred during FP3 at the Dutch Grand Prix when Sargeant suffered a massive crash at Turn 4 and his FW46 slammed into the barriers and caught fire, leading to an extended red flag period.

Fortunately, Sargeant came out of the incident unharmed, but the damage to the car was significant. It was particularly costly for the team as the car was fitted with several upgraded parts following the summer break. The extent of the damage meant that Sargeant was unable to participate in the subsequent qualifying session.