What Can Logan Sargeant Do Next After Nasty End In F1?

Logan Sargeant’s miserable F1 stint came to an early and abrupt end, just days after the Dutch GP. The American driver, who was going to be replaced at the end of the season anyway, will now have to sit out the remaining nine races of the 2024 campaign to make way for Franco Colapinto.

The spotlight in the F1 paddock will be on the Argentine driver making his debut at Monza this weekend. However, questions remain about Sargeant’s next move following his sudden exit.

As an American F1 driver, Sargeant accomplished something no one can take away from him. In 2023, on home soil in Austin, he finished P10, becoming the first US driver since Michael Andretti to score points. However, his brief moment of success was completely overshadowed by consistently poor performances and multiple costly crashes.

In 2024 itself, the Fort Lauderdale native crashed four times, which significantly added to Williams’ damage repair bill. His shunt at Zandvoort last Saturday turned out to be the final straw for team boss James Vowles, who sidelined him just four months before his contract would run out.

A dismal end to his F1 career means that returning to the pinnacle of motorsports—at least for now—looks unlikely for Sargeant. However, Williams announced they would continue backing him, allowing him to pursue opportunities in other racing disciplines around the world.

Will Sargeant return to his American roots?

Many drivers who haven’t been able to make a mark in F1, left Europe to compete in American racing ventures such as IndyCar. Romain Grosjean and Marcus Ericsson were two of the more recent drivers who made the switch.

Sargeant, being from the States, could follow. There are reports that Prema—who recently started their own IndyCar team—is interested in signing the 23-year-old. He brings a lot of sponsorship money, and being an American former F1 driver, he would be a massively popular figure in the IndyCar paddock.

Prema would also be a familiar environment for Sargeant—somewhere he could rediscover his form and thrive. He previously drove for the Italian team in the Formula 3 Championship in 2020, finishing third in the standings.

Super Formula in Japan

Red Bull junior, Liam Lawson once claimed that even though F2 acted as the feeder series to F1, Super Formula was much closer to the pinnacle of motorsports. Lawson told Motorsport,

“One of the most frustrating things is the difference between an F2 car and F1, and how your suitability for F1 can be judged from F2. Super Formula is closer to F1, and people are aware of that fact.”

Therefore, heading to Japan to potentially improve wouldn’t be a bad option for Sargeant. He wouldn’t be the only F1 driver there either, as it was revealed earlier this month that Nyck de Vries, who was let go by Red Bull in 2023, also signed a short-term contract in Super Formula.

At the same time, making a quick switch from F1 to another series would be challenging, especially mentally. Sargeant was competing in the premier class of motorsport, sharing the grid with legends like Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. This is why he might choose to remain part of the F1 paddock, hoping for future opportunities to arise.

Stay in F1 as Williams’ reserve driver

Along with Sargeant’s departure, Williams also announced that the American driver would remain a part of the team. A statement on Williams’ website read,

“Logan will remain in the Williams family and we will support him to continue his racing career.”

This could mean he will be heading to other racing categories as a Williams Academy member. Or, he might follow Esteban Ocon’s path when he lost his Force India (soon-to-be Racing Point) seat in 2019.

Ocon bided his time as a Mercedes reserve driver. The next year, Toto Wolff helped him find a seat in F1 again, through Renault.

Although the chances of Sargeant landing a spot on the grid in the near future look bleak, nothing can be ruled out in this sport.