https://www.thedrive.com/news/american-logan-sargeant-officially-secures-williams-f1-seat-for-2023
I am wondering if Logan Sargeant reaching F1 will satisfy the US F1 fans, but I guess it won't. Sure, there is a need for an American driver in F1, a household name rather than young unknown. They wanted Colton Herta, who makes headlines at home, to compete against the best in the world; instead they get Sargeant who went trough all the loops created by the FIA. It must be hard to explain to the US racing cogniscenti that a multi race winner Indycar driver has been rejected by arcane rules, while a relatively unknown newcomer gets the privilege, only by coming 4th in the F2 championship ! I hope Logan Sargeant will have more luck in F1 than Scott Speed, for whom F1 must be a bad memory.
Unless the Williams car improves greatly this won't amount to much. OK . . . . he might be better than Latifi. That's not saying anything.
He must be backed by his wealthy uncle who’s a little sketchy. I asked a retired U.S.N. admiral and aviator to check this guy out. He says Navy Fighter Weapons School (“Top Gun”) has no record of him ever being there. I lived in his hometown for more than 50 years, worked in the finance industry and never crossed paths with him, nor have any more prominent contacts that I have. Now, Wiki is certainly prone to errors, but something seems a little off. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Sargeant_III
I am a longtime US F1 fan- From my lens and speaking with "new" US F1 fans (mostly due the the growing presence of F1 here which is great) you are correct- They don't get it- they watch Indycar road races and to them the Colton Hertas should be a shoe-in for F1. What they don't get or understand - or just wont accept- (and frankly is one reason F1 is a slow climb here) is that F1 is a European/Global sport- always has been and always will be. The culture is European- the politics are European- the iconic circuits for the most part are European- etc etc. Even very wealthy US families that have deep pockets unless they invest not only the money but the cultural investments in partnerships, businesses, backroom alliances etc. They will not make it into F3>F2>F1 - and usually a far more predictable return on investment to spend it in the US for Indycar or NASCAR. Seargent has worked the right angles- Colton did not- neither did his father Bryan who was an outstanding Indycar driver and succeeded globally in ALMS but never was a consideration for F1. I wish the best for Logan- And always root for a US guy in F1- but until someone makes the cultural and financial investments coupled with sustainable, repeatable talent- and luck- the US presence in F1 will be minimal. The US fans either will need to understand that or will continue to be frustrated. Cheers
Knowing that the path to F1 is to graduate from F3 and F2, I still don't understand why more US drivers don't want to join the European scene where most of the feeder series are.There are other non-Europeans in those series, from Brazil, Australia, Far East, etc ... There were more Americans based in Europe in the 60s and 70s than now !
Frankly? Laziness and air of entitlement- Many "Fast" US drivers with solid financial backing don't want to put in the work, time, rejection, etc to "make it" in Europe when they can "make it" in the US and never have to scan a passport- Just my honest 2 cents FWIW
I don’t necessarily agree. Sure, there are going to be some who are insufficiently motivated, but I think the problem is more about finding backing to come up through a feeder series that is largely unknown to US sponsors, with virtually no American media coverage. They can invest in drivers for domestic series that have much higher profiles in the US and with much more measurable and realizable ROI than F2 or 3. And let’s be honest, there’s a bias about American drivers and teams in Europe. They aren’t quite banned, but they don’t seem to be encouraged either. What do they call it in social media? Oh, yeah. “Shadow banned.”
The fact is that the US have very strong national series, and good circuits may have an influence as well. I don't blame American drivers for wanting to race at home rather than going F1 and constantly travel I wouldn't call that lazyness, just looking for a work-life balance. I don't blame that choice. The sponsors of the best US drivers are maybe not interested to advertise all over the world if their main market is at home.
The FIA, the FIM, or the Union Internationale Motonautique (for boats) are all based in Europe, and run by Europeans. Most of these authorities pay lip service to US interests. They make rules that suit European car makers. For years, the FIA considered the Indy 500 as the US GP ! The Daytona 24 and the Sebring 12 were erased from the endurance calendar. Most years there is no US heat of the World Rally Championship, etc ... So, the US have grown their own distinct series, mostly with success.
The key point for me is that it will be fun to cheer for a fellow US driver, even in a slow Williams, just like it's fun to cheer for Haas no matter what they do. Even with 3 races in the USA next year, more interest and fans here, and a growing financial backing with various companies investing in F1, it also takes a generation or two of young kids growing up wanting to be F1 drivers. A Phil Hill, Dan Gurney, only comes along so often. We could count Mario Andretti, but he wasn't born in the US.
I remember a time when there were regularly 3 US drivers in F1. In 1961, the 3 US drivers were all among the first 5 or 6 in the WDC, won by Phil Hill. Apart from Phil Hill and Dan Gurney, Richie Ginther, Masten Gregory, Ronnie Bucknum, Jim Hall, Hap Sharp, Peter Revson also drove in F1 at times.
I'm stoked we have an American on the field, is this legit or just marketing to the American "Drive to Survive" market?
Watching this season, he qualified pretty well overall, but didn’t race as well as he qualified. Lots of judgement, overdriving and timing types of mistakes that pushed him either down the order or into the gravel. Jost Capito actually acknowledged that in confirming him for the seat, saying it’s far easier to take a quick driver and make him consistent than to take a slow but consistent driver and make him quick. Compare to Yuri Vips who early in the season looked like the next Vettel-Norris-LeClerc all rolled into one. But he just kept destroying cars one race after another, and was finally dropped from the Red Bull program before the end of the season. At least Sargeant mostly made it to the finish, but made his share of silly mistakes along the way.
small bit of news, Sargeant has picked #2 for racing next season. Hopefully will fare better in F1 than the last 2, Stoffel Van Dorn.
