Tom Brady is considered one of the greatest Quarterbacks in NFL history. Brady leads every major record tally in the sport’s history and has amassed unparallel success. He has won seven Superbowls and was voted MVP five times. The most any player has achieved to date.
Apart from his on-field records, Brady is also admired for the longevity of his professional career. The quarterback won his last title at the age of 43 and announced his retirement from the sport in 2023.
He is an inspiring personality for young and upcoming American athletes. One is F1 debutant, Logan Sargeant, racing in the 2023 F1 grid.
Like many, Sargeant also admires Brady’s constant quest for excellence. The Williams driver finds motivation in the 7x Superbowl champion story of finding success despite the early setbacks in his career.
Tom Brady did not stop despite an early setback, reckons Sargent
Logan Sargeant named 3 key personalities who’ve inspired him throughout his journey to F1; His father, Lewis Hamilton, and NFL star Tom Brady.
F1 is an extremely competitive sport with not many seats to race in. Of the 20 available racing seats, only a few are available for new drivers. So it’s commendable that Sargeant secured a seat with Williams for the season.
However, finding success in the sport in terms of race wins and titles is extremely rare at an early stage of a driver’s career. Sargeant believes this is a vulnerable point in a driver’s career to mute the naysayers and focus on improving oneself.
The American driver pointed out similarities in his journey with the NFL legend. He said, “He (Brady) was doubted early in his career and wasn’t expected to be anything.”
Brady was famously selected 199th overall by the New England Patriots in the 6th round of the 2000 Draft. He was considered unathletic and went overlooked.
Despite the heavy criticism, Brady kept working on himself and never settled for less. Sargeant added, “He kept his head down, kept working hard and now comes out as one of the greats of the sport.”
This grit inspired the Williams F1 driver the most. “That inspires me because it doesn’t really matter what anyone else says because they’re not the ones putting in the work, they’re not the ones making the sacrifices,” said Sargeant.
Logan Sargeant points out key lessons from Brady’s career
Logan Sargeant credits Tom Brady for teaching him key lessons ahead of his rookie season in F1. The Floridian believes it’s important to work hard early on and remove critics’ opinions.
The Williams driver asserted, “At the end of the day, you know how hard you’re working, and you know what you’re capable of, which no one else does. Always believe in yourself and keep going, forwards.”
Just like Brady, Sargeant regarded humility as the most important skill for an athlete to master. The 22-year-old believes he will improve as a racer over the coming seasons and won’t stop working on himself.
The Williams’ driver continued, “I always try my best to stay humble, learn the best I can from my mistakes and drown out the outside noise. There will always be people talking about you, but you have to use that as extra motivation. I just try and do the best job I can at all times.”
