F1 Rumour: Williams "Has No Plans To Replace Logan Sargeant" With Fast-Approaching Contract Expiry
Formula 1 British journalist Joe Saward has revealed that the Williams F1 team might soon sign a contract extension with rookie driver Logan Sargeant, as his present contract heads toward its expiration.
Saward has attended all Formula 1 races since 1988 and is accredited as an FIA Formula One permanent pass holder. In his latest blog Green Notebook From The Borromean Islands, the journalist penned down the latest happenings in the world of Formula 1 before expressing his views on the respective events.
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In the blog, he also spoke of 'the driver market' which reported the latest driver changes in Formula 1. It included an interesting mention of Sargeant who, as per Saward, won't be switching teams after the end of his contract this year. The F1 journo wrote:
"Williams may not have announced it yet but the team has no plans to replace Logan Sargeant."
The sole American F1 driver's performance might have not earned them any points yet but there are no concrete reasons why Williams should let him go, especially when his graph shows a gradual upward trend.
So far, Sargeant's best finish of the season was in July when he secured 11th position in the British Grand Prix. Making his debut in F1 this season, he crashed in a couple of races while he took his time to get used to the car's neck-breaking pace.
During the Italian GP last weekend at Monza, Sargeant secured the 11th place again but, was pushed down to the 13th as a result of a collision penalty from an incident involving Valtteri Bottas.
Speaking about the 22-year-old racing driver, Williams team boss hinted last month that Sargeant is here to stay and the team has been preparing a supportive environment for him that helps him to focus on his learnings. He told The Mirror:
"My plan A is investing in Logan and making sure we get the absolute most out of him. We keep forgetting that these guys and girls are in their young 20s. That's it. They're composed, educated individuals who know they are going to have to deliver.
"In Logan's case, he knows this is a meritocracy and he knows he needs to perform. But there's a no-blame culture. If you take someone and say, 'You're not doing a good enough job', what happens? It doesn't particularly help the situation. What he needs to know is that he has tremendous potential in him and he knows that. He knows that we tried to accelerate his journey into the sport one year too early, but it was the right decision at the time.
"What he needs now is an environment where he's able to take all that learning and use it to good effect, not worry about issues or mistakes but learning to build on them week in, week out. And that's the environment we're creating around him at the moment. It will take time."
