It Could Be a Long Wait for Next American on F1 Grid

Logan Sargeant’s presence in Formula for Williams ended an eight-year wait for an American on the starting grid.

Sargeant, who is losing his ride to Carlos Sainz after the 2024 season, followed Alexander Rossi’s brief five-event spell for backmarker Manor Marussia that ended in 2015. Rossi was the first full-time representative in 15 years.

Formula 1 now has three American races—Miami, Austin and Las Vegas—but the chances of any home driver being on the grid short- medium-term is highly unlikely.

Andretti Global has regularly emphasized that Colton Herta (pictured above) would be part of its organization but the team has not been granted the 2026 entry it desires—toward which it is still working—with Formula 1 unmoved by its attempts.

Formula 1 has left the door open for a future entry by Andretti, on the proviso that General Motors remains part of the equation, but that would not be until 2028 at the earliest.

Formula 2 racer Jak Crawford is a 19-year-old F1 hopeful linked with Aston Martin, and tested its 2022 Formula 1 car in Austria, but Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are under contract with Aston Martin for 2025 and beyond.

It could be another generation before there’s a successor to Sargeant in Formula 1.