Logan Sargeant F1 place at risk due to Lewis Hamilton replacement
Christian Horner lifts lid on 'serious talks' with Lewis Hamilton about joining Red Bull
Logan Sargeant faces a fight to stay racing in Formula 1 for Williams next season as the team has another driver on its “wish list”. Frederik Vesti, who competes in Formula 2, replaced Lewis Hamilton on Friday for Free Practice 1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and is someone Williams is watching closely this weekend.
Sargeant, 22, went up against Vesti in FP1, finishing one position and 0.073 seconds ahead of him by the end of the session. However, despite that start to the weekend, the American went out in Q1 during qualifying after failing to post a time after having two deleted for exceeding track limits.
He was the only driver who failed to post a time and will start Sunday’s race in last place. It comes a week after beginning the Las Vegas GP in 6th on the grid after his best qualifying session of the season. Such inconsistency only increases the pressure on this final weekend. It could be the last in F1, as a future on the grid remains uncertain.
The long-time Williams driver Ralf Schumacher only added to that speculation earlier this week when talking up the prospects of Vesti. “In Las Vegas, I was wondering why [team principal] James Vowles had not yet confirmed Sargeant for Williams,” the F1 analyst told Sky Germany.
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“That’s probably because Frederik Vesti is on the wish list, and [Vowles] is watching him closely in Abu Dhabi and is also allowed to see his data. ‘Maybe we have to make a decision for next year’.”
However, Vowles has been adamant that there will be no decisions until after the season ends. “When you talk about the future of the team and that of a young man, what the future looks like in Formula 1, then I want to make this decision calmly, after the race weekend,” he has said.
Despite praising Vesti after the practice session, Mercedes’ team principal, Toto Wolff, stressed that Vowles alone would decide, despite his history with the team. “I was at Williams 12 or 13 years ago,” he acknowledged.
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“What I always wanted with Frank was to take our own decision on drivers, with no interference from a big brother. That’s why I always respected that we’ve never had a contract which allows us to put a driver in. It’s in James’ authority to decide.”
Sargeant spoke about the situation at the start of the weekend during a media day. “Honestly, I don’t know,” he replied when asked whether he is confident at having done enough to keep his seat for next year.
“But I think, for me, it’s just a case of taking it race by race. I feel like, from a driving point of view, everything’s been getting much, much better in the past however many rounds. I’m just trying to do my job the best I can, and I think, with how it’s been going recently, I don’t see any issues.”
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