Logan Sargeant’s tenure in Formula 1 with Williams looks to be hanging by a thread after the American’s massive crash in Saturday’s final practice at the Dutch Grand Prix.
The crash, which occurred 15 minutes into the session when Sargeant lost control of his car on the exit of Zandvoort’s banked Turn 4 and spun into the barrier, resulted in significant damage to his FW46 car.
The impact was so severe that it necessitated a lengthy red flag period that consumed the entire session as marshals worked to recover the wrecked car, which had quickly caught fire, and repair the barriers.
Fortunately, the chassis survived the incident, but the engine and gearbox were heavily damaged, leaving Williams unable to repair the car in time for qualifying.
Williams team principal James Vowles was predictably unimpressed by Sargeant’s blunder.
"A hundred people worked on our big upgrade for weeks and worked their fingers sore so that we could use two cars with the new parts,” he said.
“And then everything was ruined within a second. It was an unnecessary accident. In the third practice session in the rain, you're not taking full risk."
According to reports from the German outlet Auto Motor und Sport, the Grove-based team is now considering replacing Sargeant ahead of next week’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
While no decision has been made, Mercedes reserve and former Haas driver Mick Schumacher has been tipped as a potential replacement, a solution that would likely please Vowles' former boss at the Brackely squad, Toto Wolff, who has always been supportive of Schumacher's efforts.
However, Red Bull reserve Liam Lawson is also reportedly a potential option for Williams, if the Kiwi’s employer agrees to a temporary loan.
Sargeant’s second season with Williams has been a complete disaster. He has yet to outqualify his teammate, Alex Albon, at any Grand Prix this year and remains the only driver outside of the Sauber team who has not scored any points in the Drivers’ Championship.
It has been clear for some time that his position at Williams was in jeopardy, and this was confirmed during the summer break when Carlos Sainz was announced as Albon’s new teammate on a multi-year contract starting in 2025.
Sargeant’s second year with Williams has been nothing short of a nightmare.
He has struggled throughout the season, failing to outqualify his teammate Alex Albon in any race and remains one of the three drivers - along with Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu - who have not yet earned a single point in the Drivers’ Championship.
Signs that Sargeant’s time with Williams was coming to an end were evident for quite a while.
But his exit was confirmed when it was announced over the summer break that Carlos Sainz would be joining the team on a multi-year deal as Albon’s new teammate starting in 2025.
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