Sargeant F1 seat in dire straits as Williams boss issues ultimatum

Williams Team Principal James Vowles has applied yet more pressure on his beleaguered driver Logan Sargeant.

Sargeant has endured a torrid start to 2024. He sits in last place in the driver standings, with crashes and poor performance characterising his season so far.

Knocked in Q1 in every qualifying session in 2024, Sargeant has struggled to extract pace from the FW46. While he and his teammate Alex Albon have yet to score a point, Albon has recorded the best finish of P11, while Sargeant’s is P15.

After crashing during practice in Japan, the American hoped for a better performance on home ground in Miami. Eliminated in Q1 once again, Sargeant was disappointed. The race sadly did not yield a change in fortune, as he crashed out after contact with Kevin Magnussen.

As F1 prepares for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix this weekend, rumours of Sargeant imminently losing his seat continue to circulate. As reported by PlanetF1, Williams Team Principal James Vowles publicly admitted in a public and frank interview that Sargeant is now at risk of being dropped by the team. He also confirmed discussions with other drivers have begun, teasing news in a few weeks time:

“I’ve had a direct conversation [with Sargeant], which is a very hard conversation when you do it. The simple matter of fact is that he is at risk. That’s the simple matter of fact behind it.

“He has to perform above where he is, this is a meritocracy. I’m helping him on that journey. I want him to be successful. But in the meantime, we are talking to a few other drivers because we have to get our 2025/26/27 lineup correct.

“In a few weeks, you’ll see some potential news in that area.”

Could Sargeant lose his seat this season?

When pressed on whether Sargeant could be fired by Williams this season, Vowles indicated his seat was safe for 2024. However, it seems the American has only precious few weeks left to save his seat:

” You’re coming to a conclusion that’s not quite there. That’s not what we’re saying. What I’m talking about is 2025/26 drivers. Nothing about this season. What I’m talking about is: how do we create the right foundations going forward on things?

“In a few weeks, when we’re signing, it will be me ready to say to the world: ‘This is where we are.’ And part of it is out of respect to Logan. I’ve given him an opportunity and these [areas] are where he has to step up.”

Expanding on the next steps for Sargeant, Vowles said the situation is now in the American driver’s hands, and indicated that Sargeant must make changes to save his F1 career:

“As I’ve explained to him, the control is within his hands and there are absolutely things he can be doing in order to create an environment for him where he continues within Formula 1.

“It’s not that the decision is done, it’s not that the door shut. That’s the whole point. I believe in having a human conversation and a human conversation is: ‘This is where you are, this is where you need to be and I’ll work with you as much as possible – but you’re in control of that destiny, not myself.

“That’s how I am fundamentally, it’s how I’ve been throughout my career and whether it was a driver or an engineer or someone within the organisation I feel it’s respectful – if nothing more – to lay out what has to be achieved.”

Overdriving?

When asked by 1996 World Champion Damon Hill if Sargeant was overdriving the car to make up for a poor start to the season, Vowles agreed:

I do take Damon’s point. “This is always the fine line you draw: do you create pressure? It is creating pressure on a driver by letting them know that you’re below where you need to be, let’s move up together.

“That will create more pressure. Is that going to result in actually an overdriving? “I would agree, as well, when you’re not quite there, what do you do to extract more from it?