Logan Sargeant Looking To Improve In 2024
2023 was a problematic rookie year for Logan Sargeant. The Williams racer had some highs but also many lows throughout the year. Yet, he will have the drive for 2024, which gives him a chance to prove that he belongs at the pinnacle of the sport. In a recent interview with speedcafe.com, Sargeant talks about his better understanding on how to get better. He also discusses how to succeed next year.
Sargeant’s 2023
There was a lot of intrigue around the young racer heading into 2023. The fact that he is American is a big deal for F1 as it is trying to grow the sport stateside. After a promising year in formula two, Sargeant looked like he had the speed to make an impact at Williams. Even though he showed his pace, he rarely put it together on a race weekend. The American had several crashes last season, which is very costly for a team like Williams. He also failed to out-qualify his teammate Alex Albon throughout 2023. Sargeant had a few soaring qualifying sessions. For example, he qualified in the top 10 at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Yet, the young driver didn't convert those performances to points on race day. He will look to prove he belongs in F1 next year and help propel Williams forward.
How Will He Improve
In a recent interview with speedcafe.com. Sergeant talked about his improved understanding of succeeding in the sport.
"I know so much more of what's coming at me throughout a weekend. I know much more about what the car is capable of and what it doesn't like.
“I’ve built up a much better feeling for it. It becomes more natural. With a better car, a little buffer would make life easier. From a personal perspective, the most significant change. Is the amount of knowledge I've built up to this point. I understand the car. More understanding myself and how I and the car need to work together to perform. That took longer than I wanted. It was trial and error of trying things. You made a mistake and realised that things need to change.
“Vegas was a perfect example. We had a car that finally gave us a bit of margin to the Q1 cut-off. It allowed me to drive more freely. Especially with that lack of experience, that would help throughout a season.
"That first lap in quali gave me a little margin for error. I didn't have to put it all on the line," he explained.
"It allowed me to build lap after lap. I didn't have to put it all on the line to get out of Q1."
As a rookie, a big problem was being too pushy and complex, and making costly errors.
"It's straightforward to want too much," he said. "You have to tone it back and drive to what the car is capable of. Be happy with that," he explained.
"It's better than doing something like I did in Suzuka and throwing it in the wall." I figured it out over the past yet many rounds. It improved even from a race pace perspective after the summer break, except for Qatar. It was exactly where I expected it to be in the back half of the season."
Quotes via Sportnetwork
This year's drivers market looks hectic as many drivers are out of contract for 2025. The American will have to up his game to keep his seat for 2025, as there are a lot of good drivers on the market.