Written by Paolo Alessi, Edited by Tarun Suresh
On August 27th, Williams Racing announced the dropping of their former driver Logan Sargeant following his huge crash in Free Practice 3 at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Being replaced mid-season is a rarity in modern F1, which is why it is interesting to revisit some of the most recent instances of drivers being dropped mid-season, starting with the young American.
2024: Williams Racing replacing Logan Sargeant with Franco Colapinto
Despite widespread speculation about a potential mid-season swap at Red Bull, the only driver change in the 2024 season so far has been at Williams Racing, where Logan Sargeant has been replaced by Franco Colapinto.
Sargeant, the first American to compete in F1 since Alexander Rossi in 2015, struggled to meet expectations. His raw speed and qualifying performances fell short, especially in comparison to his more experienced teammate, Alexander Albon.
Over 36 Grand Prix weekends as teammates, Sargeant was out-qualified by Albon on every occasion. In the 25 races where both drivers were classified, Sargeant failed to beat Albon even once.
Additionally, Sargeant managed to score just one point across the 2023 season (following Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton's disqualification at the US Grand Prix) compared to Albon's 27 points, which created a seven-place difference in the Drivers' Championship standings.
What likely prompted James Vowles to make this drastic decision was not just Sargeant's lackluster performance but also the heavy crashes he was involved in, which cost Williams millions—an expense that can severely affect car development in the budget-cap era.
2023: Scuderia Alpha Tauri replacing Nyck De Vries with Daniel Ricciardo
The Red Bull group is no stranger to mid-season driver changes, both in their main team and sister team. On July 11th, 2023, they announced the replacement of Dutch driver Nyck de Vries with eight-time Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo.
The former Formula E and Formula 2 champion had impressed the higher ups at Red Bull with his 2022 stand-in appearance for Williams at Monza, finishing ninth. However, his transition to F1 with AlphaTauri in 2023 did not meet expectations.
Despite the team's struggles early in the season; De Vries was unable to score any points in the first ten races and was out-qualified eight times by his teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
Additionally, De Vries failed to finish in both the Australian and Azerbaijan Grands Prix. While some argued that the Red Bull family should have given him more time, it was clear that his initial performances were below expectations.
2019: Red Bull Racing replacing Pierre Gasly with Alexander Albon
In 2019, Red Bull Racing swapped French driver Pierre Gasly with Thai driver Alexander Albon midway through the season. Gasly had been promoted to Red Bull after a strong 2018 season with Toro Rosso, taking over from Daniel Ricciardo who had moved to Renault.
However, Gasly struggled to match the pace of his teammate, Max Verstappen, in the first twelve races, being out-qualified and out-raced eleven times. His inability to secure consistent top-6 finishes led Red Bull to replace him with Albon on August 12th, 2019. Albon performed consistently for the rest of the season, securing nine top-6 finishes.
Gasly, back at Toro Rosso, managed to score his maiden podium at the Brazilian Grand Prix after a collision between Albon and Lewis Hamilton.
2017: Renault replacing Jolyon Palmer with Carlos Sainz Junior
Ahead of the 2017 US Grand Prix, Renault announced that Carlos Sainz Jr. would replace Jolyon Palmer for the last four races of the season. Sainz was initially scheduled to join the team in 2018, but the deal was accelerated, allowing him to partner with Nico Hülkenberg earlier.
Palmer, who had joined Renault in 2016, managed only one point in his debut season and a single P6 finish in 2017. He was out-qualified by Hülkenberg in every race that season and had scored just eight points compared to Hülkenberg’s 34. The 2017 Japanese Grand Prix was Palmer's last race in Formula 1.
2017: Toro Rosso replacing Daniil Kvyat with Pierre Gasly
In 2017, Toro Rosso decided to replace Daniil Kvyat with Pierre Gasly ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix. Kvyat, who had been demoted from Red Bull to Toro Rosso in 2016, was struggling for form in 2017, scoring only four points compared to his teammate Carlos Sainz Jr.'s 48.
While Kvyat was relatively competitive in qualifying, the race results heavily favored Sainz.
With Sainz moving to Renault and Gasly committed to competing in the Super Formula Championship finale, Kvyat got one last chance at the United States Grand Prix where he finished tenth.
However, this was not enough to secure his seat, as Toro Rosso opted to continue with Gasly and Brendon Hartley for the rest of the season. Kvyat would eventually return to Toro Rosso in 2019.
2016: Manor Racing replacing Rio Haryanto with Esteban Ocon
In what turned out to be Manor Racing's final season in F1, Indonesian driver Rio Haryanto was replaced by Esteban Ocon on August 10th, 2016, ahead of the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix. Haryanto was dropped due to "his failure to meet his contractual obligations."
Additionally, he was consistently outperformed by his teammate, Pascal Wehrlein. The MRT05 was a difficult car to drive, managing just one point throughout the 2016 season. Ocon, stepping in for the remainder of the season, didn’t score any points but managed to outperform Wehrlein twice in nine races.
2016: Red Bull Racing replacing Daniil Kvyat with Max Verstappen
Following a series of incidents involving Daniil Kvyat and four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel at the 2016 Russian Grand Prix , Red Bull announced on May 5th, 2016, that Kvyat would be replaced by the 18-year-old Max Verstappen ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.
Kvyat had shown promise in 2015, finishing ahead of teammate Daniel Ricciardo in the standings, but the start of the 2016 season proved disastrous for the Russian driver.
Verstappen seized his opportunity, winning the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix and becoming the youngest Grand Prix winner in F1 history. Kvyat was demoted back to Toro Rosso, where he remained for the majority of the 2017 season before eventually returning to Red Bull’s junior team in 2019.
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