Williams has the driver duo ready for 2023 with the announcement of American Logan Sargeant as second driver. The current number three in the Formula 2 championship will become a teammate of Alexander Albon, provided he obtains his super license. Team boss Jost Capito announced this on Saturday.
Sargeant currently does not have the driver’s license for Formula 1 drivers. He will probably need to finish within the top six of the Formula 2 championship for that, which is quite possible with only two races left in Abu Dhabi.
The 21-year-old Sargeant was already allowed to drive the car of predecessor Nicholas Latifi in the first free practice for his home race in the United States on Friday. The driver from Florida did that properly with a nineteenth time. It also earned him points for his super license.
Williams said Sargeant will be doing more free practice sessions this season. He will also compete in the Young Driver Test, which will be held in Abu Dhabi after the final race.
The fact that Sargeant has been chosen has also to do with the move from Nyck de Vries to AlphaTauri. The Dutchman came in for Williams at Monza and was also clearly in the picture for the seat next to Albon, but opted for the Red Bull camp. That’s how Williams ended up with Sargeant, who was already part of the team’s training.
Due to the rising popularity of Formula 1 in the United States, attracting an American driver is a smart move for Williams.
Sargeant becomes the first American driver in Formula 1 since Alexander Rossi’s five races at Marussia in 2015. Many successful Formula 1 drivers from the US have not been there, although Phil Hill (1961) and Mario Andretti (1979) have been world champion.
With Sargeant’s confirmation, there is one seat left on the grid for 2023: with the Haas team. Mick Schumacher, who is currently already driving for the team, is a prime candidate for that, but there are more privateers on the coast. On Friday Antonio Giovinazzi was allowed to drive the free practice sessions for the team, although the Italian did not do his chances good by crashing quickly.
