Sargeant: FP1 debuts should give me an upper hand in Yas Marina season finale

10 November 2022

Whilst Formula 2 has been on a break before the season finale in Abu Dhabi, it’s been a busy and extremely important time for one of its brightest stars this season – Logan Sargeant.

The Carlin driver made his Formula 1 Free Practice debut with Williams last month at the United States Grand Prix, before following it up with a second Friday appearance in Mexico City a weekend later. He’ll also be getting two further outings for Williams - in Brazil this weekend and at the final round in Abu Dhabi.

Having grown up dreaming of getting behind the wheel of an F1 car, Sargeant was thrilled by the experience of driving the FW44 at the two circuits, particularly in front of his joyous home crowd in Austin and noted how both sessions helped further his development as a driver.

“FP1 in Austin and Mexico was obviously a dream come true,” the American remarked. “I feel amazing after it and super motivated to try and get back behind the wheel of an F1 car as soon as possible. I think it’s also sort of given me a great reference and baseline for what to expect going forward and where I need to get to in terms of driving a Formula 1 car.

“The car was just absolutely incredible to drive on both circuits. I think they’re two very different circuits in terms of the characteristics of the track. Austin was amazing because it was on home soil in front of home fans. It’s super fast and flowing with a high-speed first sector, which was difficult at the start to have confidence with. It was super beneficial for me, and I learned two new tracks, which were amazing.”

He added: “I really enjoyed Mexico as well. It’s a very technical circuit as all the corners are linked together, so it’s important to string it all together. The biggest thing was learning more and more about the car in every single aspect and picking up on two tracks that I’ve never driven much on before.

“There’s only so much you can do until you actually get behind the wheel in real life and I think we ticked all those boxes. The team were super supportive in trying to get me up to speed as quickly as possible.”

After ending those sessions P19 and P17 on the timing sheets respectively, Sargeant’s thoughts are fully focused on the task ahead as the F2 season finale edges ever closer – earning enough Super Licence points to guarantee his promotion to F1 with Williams for 2023.

With 28 points to his name, he needs to finish at least fifth in the Drivers’ Championship, or sixth provided he receives the two additional points available for completing the season without receiving any penalty points.

Currently, the 21-year-old sits third in the Standings as the highest-placed rookie on 135 points, nine clear of Jack Doohan, Jehan Daruvala and Enzo Fittipaldi.

Nevertheless, Sargeant isn’t content with settling for fifth and believes that his recent F1 experience will give him an edge on his rivals, as he prepares to pull out all the stops to end his 2022 campaign on a triumphant note.

“It’s kept me active and car-fit, and it’s kept my mind sharp. I haven’t really logged off, as I’ve been constantly working both at the factory and trackside. I think that’s going to give me an upper hand heading into the finale.

“The goal going into Abu Dhabi is to make sure I get my Super Licence. Sitting third in the Championship, I don't want to finish any lower than that. It’s one round to go, we’re in a great position, we’ve been fast all year. I think the chips are on the table and it’s time to go for it. There should be no holding back, one last one round shootout and I’m going to give it everything. It’s going to be maximum attack!”