American Logan Sargeant Officially Secures Williams F1 Seat for 2023
Sargeant is the first American F1 driver since Alexander Rossi in 2015 and will attempt to be the first American grand prix winner since Mario Andretti back in 1978.
The deal between the Williams F1 team and American Formula 2 driver Logan Sargeant seemed done a few weeks ago. All Sargeant needed to do was score enough points in the 2022 F2 season to secure an FIA Super License and he was in. Yesterday, Sargeant did just that in Abu Dhabi, after a sixth place finish in the race secured him a fourth place spot for the 2022 season overall. That fourth place finish for the season gave Sargeant the points needed to snag a Super License and the second seat for the Williams F1 team.
Sargeant entering F1 makes him the first American F1 driver since Alexander Rossi, back in 2015. Sargeant replaces Canadian driver Nicholas Latifi, whose contract won't be renewed for the 2023 season.
Williams made the announcement that it would sign Sargeant back in late October, bluntly saying that all he needed to do was secure a Super License and he was in. Sargeant drove for Williams in practice sessions during the U.S. and Mexico grand prix weekends.
The 21 year old Floridian will attempt to become the first American to win an F1 grand prix in 45 years, when Mario Andretti won the 1978 F1 driver's championship for Lotus-Ford. While Williams isn't set to be a major competitor for either the driver's or constructor's championships next year, the team made significant improvements in 2022 over the previous season. If Williams continues to improve, it could be a mid-pack contender in 2023 and potentially even challenge the top teams for a couple of grand prix wins. At least that's the hope for Williams and its young American driver.
Sargeant's 2023 teammate will be Alex Albon and he will make his first F1 start at the Bahrain grand prix. It's fitting that an American driver will enter F1 during the season in which another U.S. race will be added to the calendar, the Las Vegas grand prix.
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