The grid for the 2024 F1 season is finally fully known. Logan Sargeant was the only driver without a contract as the 2023 season for the category ended less than a week ago at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. But it is now official, Williams has just offered a one-season extension to their 22-year-old American driver. The team has announced the news on their Twitter account.
Sophomore year loading…🌀
We’re thrilled to announce that @logansargeant will continue to drive for the team next season! 🙌
— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) December 1, 2023
« We are delighted to announce that Logan Sargeant will continue to drive for the team next season », the team explains in a statement.
“I am thrilled to continue with Williams Racing for the 2024 season,” the American shared after the announcement. “It has been an incredible journey with the team so far, and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to develop as a driver within such a talented and dedicated group. We have exciting plans for the future, and I look forward to contributing to the team’s success in the coming year,” explains the Fort Lauderdale native.
James Vowles, the team principal, is also delighted to announce this news: “I am happy to continue our journey with Logan for the 2024 season,” commented the former Mercedes driver. “Logan has demonstrated immense skill under the pressure of the global stage, making him a perfect choice for our team. We have great confidence in his abilities and believe that together, we can achieve even more success in the upcoming season.”
An extension to keep the American market intact?
Logan Sargeant is the only American driver on the grid and the first since Alexander Rossi in 2015. The importance of the United States in F1 has been growing for many years. In January 2017, the Liberty Media group, based in Colorado, acquired the commercial rights to the sport from CVC and Bernie Ecclestone. The British man, nicknamed “the Formula One supremo,” had been in charge since the 80s.
Since the country of Uncle Sam has become even more passionate about the discipline with the release of the Netflix series Drive To Survive in 2019. In addition to the Circuit of the Americas in Texas, the United States has hosted two new Grand Prix over the past two years. First, Miami in 2022, with its track around the Hard Rock Stadium, and especially the Grand Prix of Las Vegas, an urban track where the single-seaters run on the famous Strip Avenue of the “city of sin”.
If Sargeant’s results haven’t been extraordinary with just one point scored at the United States Grand Prix and a 21st place in the driver standings, his nationality, as well as the importance of the American market for F1, surely played in his favor.
