'If we hadn't chosen Sargeant, we would have done something wrong'

Logan Sargeant will drive for Williams in F1 in 2023 and, according to Jost Capito, that is only logical. The team boss of the British formation argues that it would have been wrong if Sargeant had not been given the chance now.

Williams had a deal ready with Alpine to loan Oscar Piastri in 2023, but that deal could not go through. Williams therefore had to look for another replacement for Nicholas Latifi. Nyck de Vries seemed a serious option, but in the end the Grove-based racing stable ended up with its own junior: Logan Sargeant.

American in Formula 1

The 21-year-old American has been part of the Williams squad since October 2021 and that choice has paid off. With one race weekend to go in Formula 2, Sargeant is third in the championship, has already won two races and has all but secured an F1 seat for 2023. He just needs to get his super licence by finishing eighth in the final standings.

''It is good for Formula 1 to have an American driver. [But] we didn’t pick Logan in the academy because he’s American, we picked him because of his success and his past in racing,'' Capito stated to The Race. Before his move to Williams, Sargeant impressed especially in 2020 by finishing third in the Formula 3 championship.

Williams opts for a rookie

''If we take the kids, if we put them into the academy, it’s the objective to get them in the Formula 1 car. And if you have a young driver who is ready for Formula 1, and you have the seat, then you have to put the young driver into the seat – otherwise, you’ve done something wrong.''

Sargeant will be the first American in Formula 1 in 2023 since Alexander Rossi drove his races for Marussia in 2015. With three American Grands Prix on the F1 calendar for next season, F1 is increasingly popular in the United States anyway, and a driver from the home country will only contribute to that growth.