Williams is still betting on Albon, called for redemption after a 2022 stingy with results. The Anglo-Thai will be joined by the rookie Sargeant, an American ‘rookie’ arriving from Formula 2. The season kicks off on March 5 in Bahrain: all live on Sky!
THE 2023 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CALENDAR – TEAM PRESENTATIONS
A confirmation and a big news at home Williams for the World Cup 2023: on the one hand Alex Albon, eager for revenge after a 2022 far below expectations; on the other, the 22-year-old American Logan Sargeant, rookie in F1. Let’s analyze theirs careers and personal stories in detail, with some curiosity.
Alexander Albon
Born in 1996, of english dad (Nigel, former pilot) e thai momAlexander Albon is at his fourth season in Formula 1. Champion of karts and one of the emerging talents of European Formula 3, in 2016 he has to surrender only to the other ART Grand Prix of Charles Leclerc in the GP3 Series championship and in 2018 it asserted itself in Formula 2, getting 3 victories and finishing third in the final standings behind George Russell and Lando Norris. Performance that convinces Red Bull to throw it in Circus.
His journey in Formula 1
Conquer the first points in F1 already in the second race, 9° in Bahrain. And the following 11 Grands Prix are enough for Red Bull to entrust him with Pierre Gasly’s car, alongside Max Verstappendeserving the trust of the Austrian team already at the debut of the new car in Belgium (5th) and in the following eight rounds of the World Championship, constant between fourth and sixth position (except for Brazil, 14th). Results that it also maintains in 2020, enhanced by two podiums: historic that in TuscanyWhy the first for a Thai. The 7th place finish, however, is not enough for the reconfirmation as ‘starter’, replaced by Sergio Perez. In the 2021 he runs in a double capacity: as third driver in F1 and in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), winning at the Nürburgring. In the 2022 he’s back among the ‘greats’, hired by Williams: but it’s a bitter season, stingy with results (just 4 points) and characterized by scary accident at Silverstone, fortunately without consequences. Forced – moreover – to skip the Monza GP for appendicitis. In short, in 2023 you will have a great desire to make up for it.
Curiosity
Albon is not the first Thai driver to race in Formula 1. Il principe Birabongse Bhanudejgrandson of Siam Mongkut, ran in the Circus between 1950 and 1955, also driving a car as legendary as the Maserati with which he obtained the best results of his career (4th place in France and two successes in races not valid for the World Championship: the 1954 GP des Frontières in Belgium and the 1955 New Zealand GP).
Logan Sargeant
An American from Fort Lauderdale (Florida), Sargeant was ‘promoted’ by Williams – of which he was the third driver in 2022 – after last year’s fourth place finish in Formula 2 which secured him the necessary points for the Superlicense. Winner of the Junior Karting Federation in 2015 (a title that the United States had been missing since 1978), he stood out in the three-year period 2016-2018 with second, third and fourth place finishes in the championships – respectively – of Formula 4 of the United Arab Emirates, F4 British and Formula Renault Eurocup.
The ‘climb’ to Williams
In the 2019 the passage into F3 at the wheel of Carlin Racing (in the points on four occasions) and in 2020 the consecration in the category on According to Racing with two successes and three podiums, finishing 3rd in the standings just four points behind the champion Oscar Piastri. In 2021 he enters the Williams Driver Academy and contests the last three races of the season with HWA Racelab in Formula 2preparing for a grande 2022 (again on the Carlin): he wins Silverstone and Spielberg, gets on the podium also in Barcelona and Baku finishing 4th, awarded as ‘rookie’ of the year. The ‘tests’ in the first round of free practice in Austin and Mexico City – passed with flying colors – are the key to heaven: a seat in Formula 1 for the 2023.
Curiosity
Logan brings the US back to an F1 car after 8 years of absence: the last one was in 2015 Alexander Michael Rossi, with Manor (ex Marussia) not going beyond 12th position. Do you remember his number? On the 53rd, in homage to the ‘Mad Beetle’ of Disney.
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