Williams have clear Logan Sargeant plan as James Vowles decides his F1 future

28 November 2023 , 19:03

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Williams have yet to decide whether Logan Sargeant will wave goodbye to F1 after just one season (Image: HOCH ZWEI/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)

James Vowles wants to run through the data from Logan Sargeant's performances this season before making a final decision on his Formula 1 future.

The American scored just one point in his rookie season in the sport. But there are significant mitigating factors, such as the fact he was called up by Williams a year earlier than planned and so his learning curve has been particularly steep.

For months, now, Sargeant's seat has been the only one on the grid yet to be confirmed for 2024. And so that, combined with his uninspiring results, has led to intense speculation over his future in the sport.

Regardless, the expected outcome is that team principal Vowles will give Sargeant a second season to prove his worth. But before committing to that course he wants to take one final deep dive into the data.

Telling reporters he will make a final decision "shortly", the Williams chief said: "Fundamentally, I wanted to make sure I saw the end of the season and assess all the options. I'm someone that was very clear from the beginning.

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"I want to assess this across the season, not across one race, to make sure we make the right decision for this team and for the future of Logan as well. I just want to check through a full season of data one more time and look at the progress, look at mistakes, look the outliers, look for growth and just make sure we're on the right track."

Vowles also said there are "not many" candidates available should his team decided to bring in a new team-mate for Alex Albon. But in reality there are several drivers who would leap at the chance to drive in F1 next year.

Mick Schumacher has already committed to a season in the World Endurance Championship with Alpine and to continue as an F1 reserve for Mercedes. But often drivers in his position have clauses in their contracts when they switch to other series which allows them to cancel their deals if an F1 drive becomes available.

Nyck de Vries used such a clause when AlphaTauri signed him for this season, having already committed to joining Toyota in the WEC. But even if no such clause exists for Schumacher, there are other options that Vowles could explore.

One of them is Mercedes junior Frederik Vesti who has been tipped for the seat if Sargeant doesn't keep it. Newly-crowned Formula 2 champion Theo Pourchaire could also be an option, while Aston Martin reserve Felipe Drugovich has also made it clear he wants a full-time F1 drive.

Daniel Moxon