Logan Sargeant is the last driver who has not been confirmed for 2024
Logan Sargeant is the only driver on the grid who does not have a contract for next season. His performances this year have been inconsistent, and his boss James Volwes seems to be taking his time for a potential replacement.
The F1 2023 season is over and almost all of the drivers have been confirmed for the next season. Only Logan Sargeant, an American rookie driver at Williams, has not yet been confirmed for 2024.
Sargeant arrived in F1 this year, after finishing fourth in his first and only season in F2 with Carlin, filling in for Nicholas Latifi. While the Williams is not a car to contend for the top positions, Sargeant has consistently been beaten by his teammate Alexander Albon in qualifying.
Williams scored 28 points this season and finished seventh in the constructor standings, but 27 of them were scored by Albon. The American only scored one point, at the Austin Grand Prix on October 22nd. He finishes 12th, but is reclassified 10th thanks to the disqualifications of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, for ‘non-compliant ride height’. This point allows him to be 21st in the driver standings, only Nyck de Vries failed to score points before being released by AlphaTauri after ten races.
A difficult learning season
Sargeant was able to achieve some good performances, such as his first Q3 secured in Zandvoort. A great qualifying session spoiled by a crash in that Q3 session where he starts in tenth place on the grid, before having an accident, all by himself, in the race the following day.
After the last Grand Prix of the season, James Volwes, the executive director of Williams, highlighted the work done by Sargeant but did not confirm him for 2024. Nevertheless, Logan has been a part of our academy for many years. And he will always be a part of it. He is still an extremely fast driver, emphasized James Volwes, after the last Grand Prix of the season.
« But I also think, if we step away from that, that we look at the last five races and how he has improved and progressed. I think there are signs that show he is doing what we need to take ownership of the seat. But we are not able to confirm it at this stage. The main thing I wanted him to know is that I am proud of the progress he has made this year. We spent time together throughout the winter, many days throughout the winter. We will see what comes out of it », continued James Volwes.
Who to replace him?
If Logan Sargeant is not retained at Williams, which driver would be lined up alongside Albon for 2024? It will not be Mick Schumacher. The former Haas driver recently joined Alpine’s Hypercar program in WEC. The most serious threat to the American is 2023 F2 runner-up Frederik Vesti. The Danish driver is part of the Mercedes junior program, and for now, his future remains uncertain. Furthermore, the sale of Mercedes engines to Williams could help facilitate this transfer. However, Toto Wolff denies any influence on Williams’ choice of drivers for 2024.
If Logan Sargeant is confirmed in 2024, it will be the first time in the history of Formula 1 that the drivers in the starting lineup at the end of the season are the same as those at the beginning of the following season. However, please note that Daniel Ricciardo made his comeback during the season, with Nyck De Vries starting the year with AlphaTauri.
