Williams Racing has decided to postpone its decision on the future of American rookie Logan Sargeant until the end of this year.
The team is meticulously assessing whether Sargeant’s debut season has seen the required progression to warrant another year behind the wheel.
Despite showcasing glimpses of impressive speed during his rookie campaign, Sargeant has yet to earn a single championship point and has encountered a series of unfortunate accidents along the way.
However, team principal James Vowles remains unwavering in his support for the young talent, reaffirming the possibility of their continued partnership in the upcoming season.
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Following another incident at the Japanese Grand Prix, Vowles clarified that there was no hurry to make a decision and emphasised affording Sargeant ample opportunities to demonstrate his capabilities.
Vowles stated, “I suspect it’ll be to the end of the season.
“I think we’ve already committed to the direction of travel we’re in.
“He has targets to hit, and it’d be wrong to go against that decision point.
“So end of the year.”
Vowles underlined the team’s willingness to exercise patience with Sargeant, citing the potential that the young driver has displayed.
Williams Racing believes that Sargeant’s primary challenge lies in maintaining consistency and delivering complete race weekends.
Vowles explained, “The pace is there.
“That’s the thing that we wouldn’t be able to fix or repair.
“But what happens is, when it comes down to the crunch time, there are elements of inconsistency that creep in, and in the form of that, goes into an accident sometimes.”
The team is dedicated to helping Sargeant progress and refine his performance, considering their responsibility to nurture rookie drivers.
Despite the limited testing mileage, Williams aims for continuous improvement and consistency to yield favorable results.
Vowles also pinpointed a specific moment in Sargeant’s F1 journey that may have inadvertently contributed to his challenges.
During the Bahrain Grand Prix, Sargeant impressively matched Lando Norris’ qualifying time in Q1. However, he failed to advance to Q2 due to Norris setting his lap time earlier.
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Vowles believes that this initial success may have given Sargeant a false sense of security, making it more challenging to handle subsequent difficulties.
“Probably the worst thing that can happen [was] he went into Bahrain and overlapped with Lando in terms of Q1,” said Vowles.
“He thought perhaps the challenge in front of him may not be as significant as it really is.”