Written by Vyas Ponnuri
Williams team principal James Vowles has been vocal of Logan Sargeant's Formula One career, often praising the American for his sportsmanlike all through, amidst adversity. But with a mounting repair bill and the pressure mounting on Sargeant to perform, has Vowles been forced to bite the bullet?
All along the past two Formula One seasons, a major storyline arising from every weekend was Sargeant's form. Was he elevated to a Williams seat one season too soon?
It's always a question posed to a rookie on the grid. Should a season on the sidelines be the way to go, right after a strong Formula 2 season? While many drivers have proved their mettle right from the outset, Sargeant wasn't among the names who set the stage alight in his rookie season.
While it is to note that his teammate Alex Albon was no easy contender to beat, as he racked up 27 of Williams 28 points in 2023, Sargeant's learning curve was substantial.
With a rookie driver on the team, adaptability always becomes key. Rookies pushing hard and finding the barriers are common in the sport, with Mick Schumacher and Yuki Tsunoda in their respective debut campaigns. The same would go for Sargeant, who experienced multiple incidents as he tried to find the limit in his rookie season.
Incidents at Australia, Baku, Zandvoort, and Japan were an inkling of Sargeant pushing too hard and going over the limit. Furthermore, the American would be forced to retire halfway into the Qatar Grand Prix, having experienced nauseatic conditions in the searing heat.
Every rookie experiences such a transition into the sport, and it's important for them to receive the support and backing from the higher figures within the team. While Vowles backed Sargeant to come good, he also spoke of how the youngster had to up his game to retain his seat.
Sargeant did indeed up his game, scoring a point at Austin and qualifying a lofty seventh at Las Vegas, allowing him to retain his seat for 2024.
With the rookie tag now off his back, Sargeant's performances would now be viewed with greater scrutiny. Every crash would be even more ammunition to call for Sargeant to be booted, while every point would be considered a victory, and a progression for the American.
Yet, things didn't improve for Sargeant going into his second season of Formula One either. While Albon's crash at Australia saw team principal Vowles make the difficult decision to hand the American's car to the Thai driver, further crashes in Japan, Miami, and Canada too hurt Williams.
Then, of course, there's the infamous crash in a wet FP3 at Zandvoort last weekend, an expensive shunt for Sargeant in the wet. It was an even deeper low, considering the team had brought upgrades to the FW46 to make it a points contender. This particular incident had far-reaching consequences, putting paid to those chances, and leaving the team with a hefty repair bill and the mechanics plenty to do.
The problems stemming from crashes aren't just those of spare parts, it's also how deep a hole they can burn in your wallet. Estimates from 2023 showed Sargeant had cost the team approximately $4.3 Million in damages from incidents. You could expect the rising crash bill in 2024 to be another factor in Sargeant's axing too.
Crashes are always a deterrent to any team's fortunes across a season, exacerbated even more so by the cost caps for the season. With the lid for 2024 at $135 Million, teams had to be frugal with their spending, and crashes would hurt their prospects of bringing vital upgrades and unlocking performance.
For a smaller outfit of Williams' stature, every penny counts. It's no secret as to why the Zandvoort incident may have been the final straw, and the nadir.
After the weekend, it's reported Vowles made calls to find out drivers available to the team on short notice ahead of Monza. Red Bull junior Liam Lawson's name was thrown into the ring, as was Mercedes reserve Mick Schumacher, who was eyeing a shot at returning to the sport once again.
However, Vowles wouldn't be able to sign either driver, with Christian Horner reluctant to loan out Lawson, while Schumacher was never considered as an option for the seat. In addition, Schumacher wouldn't be available for Monza, as he would be stateside for the Lone Star Le Mans for Alpine's hypercar squad.
An elevation for a Williams junior — A much awaited one?
Vowles' complication had grown. Finding a driver who could fulfill the obligation of doing just the final nine races of 2024, before Carlos Sainz would make his way to the team for 2025, was harder than he'd expected.
Therefore, he looked inward into the Williams Driver Academy. With nothing to lose, it presented the perfect opportunity for someone like Colapinto to relish his dream of racing in Formula One, even if it was for only nine races.
While he did start the season slow, Colapinto's season kicked into gear when he took a sprint win at Imola, holding back until a smart last-lap overtake on Aron brought him victory.
Further second place finishes at Spain and Austria highlighted the progress the MP Motorsport racer had made. In addition, an impressive FP1 outing at Silverstone only added more to Colapinto's repertoire, as he effortlessly juggled his Formula 2 and Formula One commitments.
In addition, he is known to be a racer who puts in the hard yards, and comes with a cool and calm head, grateful to everyone he has worked with so far. Ahead of the Hungarian weekend, he spoke to DIVEBOMB about the influence his veteran teammate Dennis Hauger had on his season so far:
"Super helpful to have Dennis (Hauger) next to me," Franco said to DIVEBOMB ahead of the Hungarian weekend. "He knows how to make the car perform straightaway," the Argentine continued.
He also spoke of how the 2021 F3 champion helped him get up to speed quicker too:
"The thing with him, he (Hauger) is also quite quick, so I am also quite happy to have learnt. It just made my learning process faster," Colapinto described.
"It was a big positive to have someone more experienced than you, atleast in the first year of the championship. Now we're closer to winning, so it feels like a win-win," the Williams junior touched upon his third-season teammate.
Colapinto's steady learning curve, coupled with his ability to score points regularly are what convinced Vowles of his capabilities. In fact, MP Motorsport are one of the two teams to have both cars in the top ten in the standings, allowing them to remain firmly in contention for the Formula 2 constructors title.
“To replace a driver mid-season is not a decision we have taken lightly, but we believe this gives Williams the best chance to compete for points over the remainder of the season," the Williams team principal spoke, in the context of the 21-year old's Formula 2 season so far.
Vowles also expressed gratitude to invest in his team's younger talents and give them a chance on the big stage. “We also believe in investing in our young drivers in the Williams Racing Driver Academy, and Franco is getting a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate what he is capable of across the final nine rounds of the season," he said.
With nothing to lose, Colapinto can experience the sights and sounds Formula One has to offer, for nine race weekends, almost akin to a glory run in the youngster's career. As for Colapinto's Formula 2 outfit, MP Motorsport haven't found a replacement yet.
For the departing Sargeant, Vowles has provided support to the 36-race starter, assuring he would help the American find a drive elsewhere in motorsport. While Sargeant has been linked to an IndyCar drive in the past, there's no doubt he will be gunning for a race seat in 2025, to show the world just what he can do.
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