Williams retained Logan Sargeant for the 2024 F1 season after the American driver completed his rookie season with the team. This development came amid the tension between the driver and the team over Sargeant’s future at Williams. However, the rookie wasn’t the only choice for the Grove-based team for next season.
There were numerous reports if the British team would extend Sargeant’s contract for the upcoming season. The American driver failed to impress his top bosses and therefore, there were talks about bringing in a rookie to replace Sargeant in the team or go back to have the service of a former F1 driver.
Speaking about this, James Vowles, the team principal of Williams told Sky Sports as per Soy Motor, “There were other options. But we have invested in him because I believe in him. He’s very fast when he does it right. Now he needs an environment in which he can grow and do more of that next year, and that is why he deserves more opportunities.”
R&R pic.twitter.com/FA6tXrlFLR
— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) December 13, 2023
However, right at the end of the 2023 F1 season, the Grove-based team extended the American driver‘s contract, but only till the next season. Even though Vowles has already announced that they are ready to offer the rookie another chance in 2024, in reality, it looked far from the truth until the announcement.
All of this has come after Sargeant failed massively against his teammate Alex Albon. Even though Albon is a relatively more experienced driver, Sargeant’s one point compared to Albon’s 27 wasn’t something very nice for Sargeant.
Logan Sargeant’s perspective on his journey in the 2023 F1 season
Logan Sargeant was the first full-time driver from the United States in F1 in a long time and after his point finish in Austin this year, he became the first American in 30 years to have a point.
This has come after a few people wrote him off from the sport two years ago. Now, he went on to complete a full season with Williams and spent his rookie year in a bittersweet way. In doing so, he also earned another year in the team alongside Alex Albon.
‘24 prep coming in hot pic.twitter.com/RQEQIov5lR
— Logan Sargeant (@LoganSargeant) December 5, 2023
Speaking about this, he said in his column in The Players’ Tribune, “Looking back on everything, I’m so proud of every part of my journey. The parts I faced with my family, the parts I faced alone. The times I was ready to give up. And even the moment I thought it was all over.”
Following this, he added, “It all just kinda serves to remind me how hard I’ve worked for this. I’ve given my entire life to this sport, and if I could go back and change anything, I’d do it this way every single time. Now that I’m here, everything ahead of me is just the cherry on top of the cake.”
