F1 News: James Vowles "Changed Quite A Bit" of Logan Sargeant Over Winter Break
James Vowles, the team principal of Williams, disclosed a strategy aimed at enhancing the performance and expertise of driver Logan Sargeant, who stands as the sole American driver on the Formula 1 grid. After a season of mistakes and learning in 2023, the team boss set a plan of action for the 23-year-old driver for the winter break to "surprise the world in terms of his physical fitness, his approach and his performance”.
In 2023, Sargeant assumed the role of second driver following Nicholas Latifi's departure. However, being his rookie season, it was marred by numerous mistakes that were hard to ignore. The multiple crashes incurred not only raised team expenses but also prompted concerns about the driver's prospects moving forward.
Placed alongside a potent driver like Alex Albon, the contrast in performance made things worse for Sargeant. Albon concluded the season with 27 points, whereas Sargeant barely made it through to the 2024 season with a single point.
Courtesy of Vowles, who took over the team principal role in January last year, Sargeant was allowed another chance. Vowles made it clear that he wanted Williams to be easygoing for rookie drivers by offering them the opportunity to prove themselves.
Thus, Sargeant's contract, which was to expire toward the end of last year, was extended for another year. Revealing the plan set apart for him for the winter break, Vowles told the media:
“First and foremost, I’ve asked him to surprise the world in terms of his physical fitness, his approach and his performance.
“So we’ve changed quite a bit with him across this winter period.
“What I’ve asked him to do is to reset. It’s very hard for racing drivers across this period when they finish their last race in early December and then start again in late February to be right on the money straight away.”
The Plan For 2024
As a mantra to avoid making silly mistakes, Vowles told him:
“What I’ve asked him to do is to approach the first few days of driving the car with caution again, the same way he did at the end of the year, build up into it, don’t try and rush into success and don’t be disappointed if success doesn’t come to you immediately.
“That’s the confidence I place in him. That’s why he’s back in the car.”
It is important to note that during the 2023 season, Albon had access to a car equipped with more aerodynamic upgrades, compared to Sargeant's Williams, which lagged in performance. However, once both drivers were on equal footing in terms of car capabilities, the situation improved for Sargeant. Vowles explained:
“At the end of the year, when we were on the same equipment, he started to pull right back into where I needed him to be. And what I’ve asked him to do is that momentum needs to continue,
“I need him now in the winter to not go back to his old ways of driving where he’s trying to extract too much from himself and the car too quickly, but rather approach things progressively.
“We should have a car that is more suiting to both drivers, hoping that we’ve got rid of some of these really nasty effects from last year. But that will also make a platform for him where he should be able to grow much quicker than he did in ’23.”