Williams rookie Logan Sargeant believes Formula 1 is “almost as big” as the two biggest motorsport championships in America, with the American driver stating that the pinnacle of motorsport might actually be “bigger” than NASCAR and IndyCar.
Formula 1 has grown rapidly in the United States over recent years, with the F1-based Netflix docuseries ‘Drive to Survive’ being a main reason for that.
The docuseries has been a remarkable success across the pond, with the sport’s American owners having also worked wonders with growing the sport.
America is very much a key hub for F1 nowadays, with the nation boasting three races from 2023, an American team (Haas), and an American driver for the first time since 2015.
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As if that wasn’t enough, American manufacturer Ford have announced their return for 2026, whilst Andretti Autosport and General Motors are edging ever closer to entering a new American team.
With all of that in mind, Sargeant has recognised that F1 has become “pretty popular” in his home country, to the point where it may be the most popular motorsport in the nation.
“It seems almost as big as NASCAR and IndyCar, if not bigger,” Sargeant told media, as quoted by RaceFans.
“It’s hard to say without seeing the numbers.
“But it seems like it’s pretty popular, and that’s a positive.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of diehard IndyCar and NASCAR fans who don’t always like it,” Sargeant continued.
“But I think with the way the sport is going in America, it will, if it’s not already, it will be the biggest here shortly.”
Sargeant admits that it wasn’t that long ago that “anyone really cared” about the sport, but that now he receives constant messages of people recognising how big the series is.
He labels F1 in America as a “completely different world” now, with “everyone” knowing what the sport is.
“To be honest, I don’t think back in the day anyone really cared, anyone really understood what it was,” he said.
“It’s funny, people text me now and be like ‘hey, I realise how big of a thing this could eventually be or how big F1 really was’.
“It’s a completely different world now in terms of America. Everyone knows what Formula 1 is now over there. It’s nice to see the transition and hopefully it keeps growing.”
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Given that he is the first American F1 driver since 2015, Sargeant will presumably receive immense support at all three races in the United States in 2023, with the rookie having the “privilege” of having several home races
“I think coming into the sport, straight into a year where there’s three US grands prix is a special opportunity and a privilege at the same time,” he said.
“F1 in America is clearly at its peak and it’s still on the way up, which is a massive positive. You can see how many questions from friends and family and how curious people are about the sport and it does show how much it’s growing in America.”