by Ben Tredinnick
Logan Sargeant’s time in Formula One has come to an abrupt end. On Tuesday, the Williams F1 team announced that Sargeant will be dropped from the team for the rest of the season and replaced by Franco Colapinto, beginning at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend.
In a statement released by the Williams team, they said:
“We’d like to thank Logan for everything he has done the past two seasons. He will remain a member of the Williams family, and we will support him in continuing his racing career.”
Sargeant’s F1 career was underwhelming. He was routinely out-qualified by his more experienced teammate, Alex Albon.
The only time this did not happen was at the recent Dutch Grand Prix, and this was only because Albon was disqualified from qualifying. Logan did not set a time, as his car was still being repaired after a shunt in the Free Practice hours before destroying the chassis.
Apart from being one of the slowest drivers on the grid, Sargeant needed help to keep the car on the track.
He crashed heavily numerous times, and the damage caused by these crashes has been estimated to cost the Williams team $4.3 million in the 2023 season alone. This is a lot of money to spend on new parts, only to waste them a couple of races later.
During the 36 races he competed in, he could only get one point, which came at the 2023 United States Grand Prix in Austin. However, this again was only due to the disqualification of other drivers. Sargeant finished the race in 12th, but Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were disqualified, moving him up to 10th and gaining his only point.
It was a surprise when Williams announced they would keep Sargeant on for the 2024 season. Now, we know this may have been the wrong decision. But, now, with Sargeant outside of the immediate “Williams Family” for 2025, where can he go?
What is next for Logan Sargeant?
Logan’s most apparent location is Indycar.
Many former Formula One drivers may have had poor careers in the category but are now thriving in the Indycar series. Two recent examples of this are Takuma Sato and Marcus Ericsson, both of whom have won the Indy 500.
Racing in Indycar will allow Sargeant to race single-seater cars in an environment that may suit it. He brings some experience from F1, and we can see a Sato-like turnaround from him and his challenge for podium places.
At 23, he is young enough to have a long career in the series and continue his development as a driver.
Formula E could also be on the cards, as seats are available for the upcoming season starting in December.
A move to this series will show that teams are still interested in having the American in a world-class grid of drivers. Furthermore, he can use the backing the Williams team said they will give to help him move into this class.
However, this is not his best move, as many Formula E circuits are tight street circuits. While expanding the more traditional road courses, if Sargeant cannot keep the car away from the wall, the team will only be spending time and money repairing the car, just as they did in Formula 1.
To summarize, what did Logan Sargeant do in his Formula One career? He crashed. It’s almost fitting that one of the last images of him as a Formula One driver is him walking away from a burning car.
Will it go down as one of the worst? No, there are far worse. But, he will only be a short footnote in the sport’s history, remembered only for his mistakes, and the many memes.