Logan Sargeant is not a rookie anymore, and is under tremendous pressure at Williams, as his woes continue. Williams team principal James Vowles, who has been a vocal supporter of Sargeant, has recently insisted that the American has to step up to save his seat.
On ‘The Vowles Verdict’, Vowles discussed his “open and honest” relationship with Sargeant, which compels him to tell the American driver that he needs a “performance step up”. “He needs to be matching Alex [Albon] in a qualifying condition. We need to be qualifying where Alex is at the same time,” explained Vowles.
At the same time, he doesn’t intend to put Sargeant down. Vowles agrees that it is his and the team’s job to support the Fort Lauderdale native.
Vowles noticed Sargeant’s efforts in Imola during the race. But what upsets him is the 23-year-old’s qualifying performance, especially because he had speed. The Briton noticed that despite Sargeant’s evident pace, the American was failing to adhere to track limits, which kept deleting his time.
In the end, Sargeant couldn’t put up a single valid lap time and started the race from the back of the grid. He made up two places to finish P17, something Vowles notes. But in the long run, to keep Williams within a fighting chance of competing for the points, the American has to start higher up the grid.
Williams hoping to avoid a repeat of 2023 with progress
In 2023, Williams was the underdog team, performing well enough to compete for points on several Grand Prix weekends. They finished the season in P7 with 28 points, but shockingly, 27 of those came from Alex Albon.
Logan Sargeant’s solitary points contribution was monumental for him on a personal level, taking that particular race into account. But overall, it was an underwhelming rookie season.
Not the result we wanted on the track today, but our hard efforts throughout the season ensure we hold on to P7 in the Constructors’ Championship. pic.twitter.com/pum3oUJ3EG
— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) November 26, 2023
The back of the grid is tight, and teams aren’t too far away from each other which makes every single point crucial. Keeping that in mind, Williams will want Sargeant to contribute more, in case they do develop their car to fight for the points. Otherwise, Williams will look to replace him with one of the drivers Vowles openly admitted he is in talks with.
