F1: American Logan Sargeant to run Practice 1 at COTA (Update)

Logan Sargeant may not be well known in the world of US motorsports, but he has suddenly emerged as a strong candidate to rise to Formula One and end the sport’s drought of American drivers.

“I’m not sure they’ll know who I am, but hopefully, they will after that session,” Sargeant said. “I think the atmosphere at COTA is always one of the best, and obviously it’s going to be FP1, so it might not be too crazy, but hopefully, they’ll be out to support [me].”

Sargeant, part of the Williams Driver Academy, races for Carlin and has surprised many with his performance in his first F2 season. He became the first American to win an F2 race earlier this season at the British Grand Prix and later added a second win at the Austrian Grand Prix.

While Herta has long been considered the most likely to break through as the next American F1 driver thanks to his ties to McLaren and Michael Andretti’s hopes for an F1 expansion team, Sargeant might have the clearer and quicker path.

So far, Andretti’s hopes of buying an F1 expansion team have not received enough support from other teams and seem to have stalled.

Both Williams drivers, Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi, have contracts that expire this season. While Albon has a good shot of returning, Latifi is expected to be out, possibly opening the door for Sargeant.

Complicating matters is if Sargeant wins the 2022 F2 championship. Drivers who win the title are not allowed to return the next season. If Sargeant doesn’t get the Williams seat, he could be elevated to reserve driver, the same path taken by Piastri. But like Piastri, that would leave Sargeant without a car to drive next season.

Williams Academy driver and double FIA Formula 2 race winner Logan Sargeant will drive the Williams Racing FW44 on home turf during the first Free Practice session of the Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix 2022 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin on Friday 21 October.

The American driver will take over Nicholas Latifi’s FW44 for the 60-minute session tasked with aiding the team’s preparations for the weekend. Logan’s outing will fulfil the second and final mandated young driver session this season for the team.

Following an impressive start to his first full season in Formula 2, achieving two wins and a further two podiums, the Florida native currently sits third in the standings with 119 points heading into the summer break.

Logan Sargeant: “I’m super excited to be given this opportunity to drive my first Free Practice in Austin. To be given the chance at the US Grand Prix is something extremely special to me. A massive thank you to Williams for putting the trust and belief in me to do a good job. The goal for me will be to learn as much as possible in the new generation of cars. I’m looking forward to making the most of this experience and really enjoying it.”

Sven Smeets, Sporting Director: “Logan has demonstrated a great level of ability and maturity so far this season through his accomplishments both on and off the track. He’s delivered race winning performances in Formula 2 matched by his hard work during simulator sessions. It felt only right to reward these achievements with the opportunity for him to take part in a Free Practice session at Austin. We’re looking forward to seeing him get behind the wheel of the FW44 and seeing how his performance and feedback help the team’s preparations for the race in Austin.”