Williams driver Logan Sargeant is maintaining his composure amid speculation regarding a potential mid-season replacement, stating that he feels "comfortable" with his position.
Sargeant is currently in his second season of F1 racing, but the 23-year-old driver from Fort Lauderdale has struggled to put together a clean weekend, while he’s also been comprehensively outpaced by his Williams teammate Alex Albon.
The young American’s disappointing performances have inevitably led to rumors of a mid-season swap at Williams, with the hearsay gathering pace in Miami this weekend and suggesting that Mercedes teenage protégé Andra Kimi Antonelli could replace Sargeant as early as this months Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola.
News of a dispensation request filed with the FIA to grant Antonelli, who is currently 17, an exemption from the minimum age requirement to compete in F1 only further fueled the speculaton.
It’s unclear who filed the request with the governing body, but Mercedes boss Toto Wolff dismissed in Miami the possibility of promoting Antonelli to a race seat in F1 anytime soon, given that the Italian’s main focus is on the FIA Formula 2 Championship.
Nevertheless, when questioned about the growing reports suggesting his potential mid-season demise, Sargeant was unfazed by the stories and innuendo.
“You know, I talked to James [Vowles, Williams team principal] internally. I talked to my managers. I’m comfortable,” he said in Miami, quoted by Motorsport Week.
“That’s all internal talk. So I’m not, I’m not going to say anything.”
©Williams
Sargeant will enjoy on Sunday the first of his three home races in the US, although Miami is the young charger’s true hometown event.
Assessing his current state of affairs, Sargeant feels like his is doing a god job and making progress from one race to the other.
“I’m doing my job to the best I can. Jumping in FP1 this weekend was the most comfortable I’ve felt all year, and I feel like I was straight away on it,” he said.
“And if I look, since Australia, I feel like it’s been going, relatively well from a pace front.
“You know, Japan, getting almost everything out of it, of course, China was disappointing. But, again, here today, I feel like I did a good job.
“So I’m just looking for that last tenth, but, nonetheless, just enjoying it, being home and, keep delivering the best I can.”
Pressed by Vowles ahead of this weekend’s event to up his game and narrow the gap to Albon, Sargeant ended up within one-tenth of his teammate in qualifying, although he ultimately missed out on a spot in Q2.
When asked if this marked his best performance of the 2024 season so far, Sargeant acknowledged that a potential clean lap in the previous day's sprint qualifying could have yielded an even better outcome.
If I’d delivered a clean lap in the sprint quali yesterday like I could have, then, yes,” he said. “Because I should have got through to Q2 yesterday and didn’t.
“Other than that, yeah, I feel like I’ve been driving well, and, I feel like that was a good qualifying session. I’m gonna continue to move forward tomorrow.”
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