U.S. drivers continue to be few-and-far-between in Formula One
Formula One has exploded in popularity in the United States thanks to the “Drive to Survive” documentary series on Netflix, as well as the new tracks in Miami and soon to be in Las Vegas.
Therefore, it seems like a good time for the sport’s first American driver in eight years.
Logan Sargeant is the newest American on the F1 grid. He’s replaced Nicholas Latifi at Williams after Sargeant finished fourth in Formula Two in 2022 with two wins.
American fans will surely love to see an American on the grid, but fans should lower their expectations of Sargeant for this upcoming year. The first reason is that he’s driving for Williams. The British team named after its founder Sir Frank Williams has a storied history with seven drivers’ titles and nine constructors’ titles but has consistently been at the back of the field recently.
Since 2018, Williams has finished 10th in the constructors' championship four times and eighth once. To put that in perspective, there are only ten teams in Formula One.
Things look to be no different this year, as testing and free practice in Bahrain showed Williams at the back of the grid once again.
And then in the season-opening race at Bahrain nearly two weeks ago, Williams was an also-ran again, as Alexander Albon finished 10th and Sargeant was two spots behind in 12th.
Being at the back of the grid is not a rare sight for an American driver. Since Formula One began in 1950, there have been two world champions from the United States: Phil Hill in 1961 and Mario Andretti in 1978. Andretti was also the last American to win a race in 1978.
For those of you who may be a bit math-challenged, think about that: It's been 45 YEARS since a U.S.-born driver has won a race in F1!
To better understand the lowly standard Americans have set in Formula One, let’s look back at the past five American Formula One drivers and how they fared in the premier racing field:
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Bobby Rahal-1978
Many American racing fans may know Bobby Rahal as a team owner in IndyCar and as an Indianapolis 500 winner. However, Rahal did have a racing career which included two starts in F1.
Rahal had the opportunity to drive for Wolf Formula One team in 1978 in the United States Grand Prix and the Canadian Grand Prix. It was an unsuccessful two races as Rahal retired in Canada and finished 12th in the United States Grand Prix.
In 1979 Wolf went with James Hunt instead of Rahal, and that ended Rahal’s brief stint as a Formula One driver.
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Danny Sullivan-1983
Sullivan fared better than Rahal simply because he completed a full season in Formula One. In 1983 Sullivan raced for Tyrell and was beaten by his teammate Michele Alboreto who finished 12th in the championship.
Sullivan’s best race was in Monaco, where he finished fifth and scored two points. Those two points were the only points finishes of the season for Sullivan and he finished 17th in the overall championship. It was a lot harder back then to score points, as only the top 6 drivers finished in the points.
Just like Rahal, Sullivan didn’t stick around long in F1, as Tyrell didn’t retain Sullivan. He went on to win the Indy 500 in 1985, the year before Rahal won it in 1986.
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Michael Andretti-1993
The most hyped entry on this list, Andretti signed with McLaren before 1993 and was paired with three-time world champion Aryton Senna. Longtime McLaren boss Ron Dennis claimed Andretti could win races and world championships.
But soon enough it was easy to see that wouldn’t happen. Andretti crashed out of the first four races and finished the championship 11th, three races early, after his best finish of the year, which was third place at Monza.
Critics said Andretti wasn't committed enough to F1 as he refused to move to Europe and instead commuted to the races from America. Regardless, Andretti was out after one year and couldn’t live up to the lofty expectations.
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Scott Speed-2006 and 2007
Speed becomes the first American on this list to last two seasons. He became a test driver for Red Bull in 2005 and in 2006 he earned a seat at the newly formed Scuderia Toro Rosso.
The young American struggled with pace and with crashes as well. He failed to score in the points in 2006 and finished 20th in the championship, behind his teammate Vitantonio Liuzzi. Speed was given another chance in 2007 but failed to score points once again until he was replaced by Sebastian Vettel before the Hungarian Grand Prix.
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Alexander Rossi-2015
After being a test driver for a few years, Rossi finally got his shot with Marussia for five races in 2015. He didn’t score a point and his best finish was 12th. He ultimately finished 20th in the championship.
Rossi declined a seat from Manor for the 2016 season, deciding instead to return to the U.S. and accept an offer to race in IndyCar for Andretti Autosport.
It ended up working out quite well for Rossi, as he won the 2016 Indy 500 as a IndyCar rookie.
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So, where Sargeant will wind up this season is anyone's guess -- if he manages to last the whole season in the first place, that is.
But if Sargeant does manage to stick around for a few years, he will likely be joined at some point by another American, Colton Herta, and potentially Mexican native Pato O'Ward.
And let's not forget that Andretti hopes to make a return visit to F1, but as a team owner, a role he hopes to secure by 2025 or 2026 (unless he can buy out a current existing team and take over even sooner).