American Logan Sargeant Was Not Only Option for Williams F1 Team

Logan Sargeant is getting another chance to prove he belongs in Formula 1.

Williams F1 team principal James Vowles, however, also admits that he had other options to slot in as the impressive Alex Albon's teammate next year—after rookie American Sargeant only managed to finish above the dumped Nyck de Vries in the final Formula 1 Drivers' Championship standings in 2023.

"We did have other options, yes," Vowles said. "But we invested a year in him because I believe in him. He just deserves another chance to show what he is worth next year."

Vowles became Williams team principal this year, having built up his reputation alongside Toto Wolff as Mercedes' highly-respected strategy boss.

"I had the opportunities to shape myself and my future and made big mistakes along the way that ultimately made me who I am today," he said. "This of course also applies to Logan."

Vowles insists he is not too surprised Sargeant, 22, struggled so much given how little preseason testing a rookie gets "while at the same time Alex was showing more and more just how good he is".

"(Sargeant) really struggled last season, but in those last four or five races it was really noticeable that he was getting better," Vowles said.

Sargent finished a season-best 10th at Austin and 11th in Brazil over those final five races.