As the Formula 1 season returns from the Far East and commences its tour of the Americas and Middle East, Fort Lauderdale’s Logan Sargeant will be aiming for a strong finish to his rookie year. The 22-year-old has recently produced his best qualifying performance of the year, reaching Q3 in Zandvoort, and is looking to break into the top ten in the final classification to score his first world championship points.
So far in 2023, his best result of the season was 11th at the British Grand Prix and since then, Sargeant’s pace and consistency has been steadily improving. Over recent interviews at the Official FIA Formula 1 Press Conferences, the Floridian has been talking about his debut season, his relationship with his team- mate, the advice of Williams Racing Team Principal James Vowles and his hopes for next year. Here are the highlights of those conversations.
Q: What conclusions have you drawn about your rookie season so far?
A: It’s been about understanding how I need to improve but, at the same time, just trying to enjoy every moment of the season so far. I think I know what I need to do in the second half of the season, and I feel like I need to just try to maximize my performance.
Q: You said you know what you need to do in the second half of the season. Can you explain what you mean by that?
A: Yeah, I just need to clean things up. I’ve made some costly mistakes this year at the wrong time, and I feel like if I can clear those up, be a bit more consistent and if I can deliver the way I know I can deliver, everything will be good.
Q: If you look back at 2023 so far, Silverstone was your best result with 11th. What was the car doing there that enabled you to have such a good result. How can you replicate that?
A: I think sometimes you put the car on the ground and it’s in a better place some weekends than others. And I think Hungary and Spa didn’t quite work out for us, but we just need to be hopeful, keep trying to put the car in the best place heading into each weekend and hopefully another opportunity arises for me and the team.
Q: Alex Albon has been driving really well for Williams this season. In your rookie year, how much have you been able to learn from him?
A: He’s been driving amazingly and for me being a rookie, it’s been really good to be able to learn from that – he’s really set the benchmark. He gets everything out of the car every weekend and that’s what I’m trying to get to. So, a perfect person for me to try and reach and it’s also good for the team too.
Q: How do you cope with the pressure of Formula 1?
A: The pressure is always there. It doesn’t matter what position you’re in, what team you’re in. It’s a performance driven sport. I think we all understand that. So it’s all going to ultimately come down to that. It’s going to come down to how I perform, how I improve. We’re all aware of that and understand that.
Q: How is your relationship with new Williams Racing team principal James Vowles? He’s got a strong record working with young drivers. How has he helped you take steps forward through your rookie season?
A: I feel like since James has come into the team, he’s impacted the team in such a positive way. I think the mindset of everyone in the team has switched for the better. I think, from my side, he’s been hugely helpful in helping me on the driving side. He understands the cars better than anyone I’ve worked with before. And he also is very good at understanding the human element, the mentality side of the game as well. And he’s helped me on all those things combined. So, it’s been really nice to work with him.
And I think, even in long-term vision, he understands exactly where he wants to go with the team and he’s a great leader and I think he’s going to be really good for the team moving forward.
Q: What is the plan for 2024, what do you need to do to stay with the team next year?
A: What I want to see from my side is just constant improvement throughout, from now until the end of the season. You know, just keep making steps forward. And I feel like I have made steps forward, by starting to deliver laps when I need to in qualifying and just being more controlled and comfortable. So, I feel like as long as I keep doing that, keep coming into the weekend as well prepared as I can, then the goal is just keep making steps forward.
Q: What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned from Alex?
A: He’s just fast everywhere. I feel like you can really see his experience. You can see that he’s gone through ups and downs in Formula 1 and he really knows how to get the most out of the car, get the most out of the team, and how to put himself in the best position for Sundays.
