Williams have had a difficult start to the season on a number of levels and Sargeant’s performances in comparison to team-mate Alex Albon are far from their main concern. But they are a concern.
Having said that, there doesn’t seem to be any desire to change things around mid-season, so Sargeant will probably survive until the end of the year, when he will likely be dropped if he has not upped his game.
Is Alex Albon being wasted at Williams? And would a move back to Red Bull be a good move for him after what happened last time?
The driver market is in flux at the moment, even after Fernando Alonso’s decision to commit to Aston Martin. There are seats available at Red Bull and Mercedes, as well as most of the teams in the second half of the grid.
It’s hard to predict how things will pan out. “Wasted” is a subjective assessment. What you’re basically saying is should Albon be in a better car given his level of talent?
Would he win races in a winning car? Yes. Is he better than the drivers already in the top five teams, to the extent that those outfits would look at him as an option? That’s for them to say and his name is not being bandied around that much, it seems.
Would it be a good move for him to go back to Red Bull? If Max Verstappen stays, probably not – it did not work out well last time, although doubtless Albon would say that he would be better equipped to deal with it a second time around now he has more experience.
Mercedes are the other top team with a seat open, but I don’t hear Albon’s name being mentioned there. After that, he might feel staying at Williams, where team principal James Vowles rates him highly, and growing with the team was about as good an other option as there is.
Audi/Sauber might seem a better bet on paper, but they seem to be aiming primarily for Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg, with Valtteri Bottas also an option.
What options does Felipe Drugovich have now that Alonso has signed a new deal at Aston Martin?
Drugovich, the 2022 Formula 2 champion, is Aston Martin’s reserve driver again this year. The Brazilian has no hope of a drive there – Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will stay on there in 2025.
His options are to look elsewhere in the lower half of the grid and persuade a team owner to take a chance. But he’s not a name you hear being discussed that much. Interest in him seems to be low in F1. He might be better advised pursuing a racing career elsewhere, such as IndyCar, Formula E or endurance racing.
2024-04-16 07:00:04
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