Williams has handed Logan Sargeant an unexpected practice outing at this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos.
Sargeant currently sits third in the FIA Formula 2 Championship with two races to go in Abu Dhabi next month.
Theoretically, that classification - if maintained - guarantees the points tally that would qualify the young American for the superlicence that he'll need to be able to race with Williams in F1 next season.
However, drivers who successfully complete 100km during a free practice session will be granted one additional point per Grand Prix weekend, as long as they do not pick up any licence penalty points.
Therefore, as a matter of precaution, Williams handed its young gun FP1 outings in Austin and in Mexico. But red flags in FP1 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez limited Sargeant's mileage and that has compelled Williams to hand its driver an additional practice session in Brazil, despite the inclusion in next weekend's schedule of a sprint event.
Sargeant will take over Alex Albon's Williams in Saturday morning's second practice session in Sao Paulo.
"This is unusual for a Sprint Event and is more difficult than usual as Alex’s car will be in Parc Ferme during FP2," explained Dave Robson, Williams' Head of Vehicle Performance.
"However, the experience that Logan will get is invaluable, and giving him another opportunity is a good investment in his future.
"He did an excellent job in Austin and Mexico City, and we are confident that he will do so again despite the unusual weekend format."
Sargeant is also scheduled to run with Williams in FP1 in Abu Dhabi, while he'll also take part in F1's post-season young driver test at Yas Marina as part of his F1 preparations for 2023.
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