Williams have seemingly confirmed – by accident – that Logan Sargeant will be driving for the Formula One team in 2024.
19 of the 20 seats on the grid for next season have already been confirmed with Williams the only team to announce their line-up.
Alex Albon will be there having driven superbly well for the British outfit since joining them in 2022, but his teammate’s identity is yet to be revealed with Sargeant now out of contract.
This season, the 22-year-old became the first full-time American F1 driver since Scott Speed in 2007 and the first to score points since Michael Andretti way back in 1993.
However, it’s been a poor season for the rookie who scored just one point in comparison to Albon’s 27, leaving him 21st in the drivers’ championship with only the point-less Nyck de Vries, who was dropped by AlphaTauri after just 10 races, behind him.
Williams boss James Vowles has been coy on Sargeant’s future, but has made it clear that he would not have hired the American had he been in charge at the time.
But a radio message between the driver and his team at the end of Sunday’s season finale in Abu Dhabi suggested that he will be sticking around for next year.
‘P16 and we are seventh in the [constructors’] championship,’ his engineer Gaetan Jego said.
‘I think that was a good race. Thank you for this year, it was a pleasure to be alongside you this year. Thank you, mate.’
Sargeant responded: ‘Thank you guys very much. Obviously, we’ve had our ups and downs, but I really feel there’s momentum building, and just getting stronger and stronger.
‘Couldn’t have chosen a better group of people to spend it with. And yeah I just hope we can continue it. Thank you guys.’
Jego replied: ‘Thank you, Logan. Looking forward to next year buddy.’
Vowles then added fuel to the fire by telling Sargeant: ‘Well done, I’m sorry we didn’t have the car underneath you today to do more than that.
‘You’re contribution this year has been excellent. It’s been a proud moment to watch you grow across the season so far. Looking forward to the winter together and many more.’
But when pressed about this interaction post-race, Vowels quickly backtracked on the matter, telling F1TV: ‘I’m afraid you’re getting ahead of yourself. But whatever happens, Logan has been in our academy for many, many years.
‘He will always remain a part of our academy. He’s still an excellently quick driver.
‘But I think also, if we step away from that and look at the last five races and how he’s been improving, I think you can see signs that he’s doing what we need to earn the seat.
‘But we’re not in a position to confirm that at this point in time. The main thing I want him to be aware of, is I’m proud of the steps he’s made.’
Thankfully for Sargeant, the drivers most closely linked with taking his seat have already confirmed they won’t be joining Williams, with Mick Schumacher racing in the World Endurance Championship, while Liam Lawson will be back as a Red Bull/AlphaTauri reserve in 2024.
But there have been rumours that Formula 2 runner-up Frederik Vesti is an option, which would make sense given his links to Mercedes who are in turn associated with Williams.
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