Sargeant: Pole ‘definitely on the table’ but there’s more to pace to find

1 July 2022

Brimming with confidence after topping the opening Practice session, Logan Sargeant was pleased with his performance around Silverstone. However, the Carlin driver is readying himself as he believes his biggest challenge across the Formula 2 weekend is yet to come.

One of only two drivers to break into the 1:40s, Sargeant’s last minute improvement before the final red flag of the session saw him pip Championship leader Felipe Drugovich by just over three-thousandths of a second. Yet the American drivers says he’s refusing to get ahead of himself as Practice times don’t always translate to Qualifying pace.

“In general, it was a really good start to the weekend. Obviously, Free Practice doesn’t mean anything. Looking at switching to the soft compound for Qualifying still means there’s a big step to find but nonetheless it’s a good start. I’m very confident around this circuit so I think we can be excited heading into Qualifying.”

Previous experience isn’t everything, but it looks to be helping drivers this weekend and Sargeant has an abundance of it around Silverstone. The American was an unstoppable force on track back in 2020 in F3. He was the fastest man on track on both weekends, sealing pole position on both occasions.

That combined with his performance in Practice means Sargeant already has his sights set on P1 for Sunday’s Feature Race, but he admits managing the tyre switch between sessions is going to be a challenge.

“Absolutely, I think pole is definitely on the table. It’s a track I feel really suits me, I’m really comfortable around here but to get pole, there’s a big step to find. A lot of the combined entries and the fast-flowing nature through the high-speed sections suit the way I like to drive the car and it just comes together nicely for me. The hardest part about F2 is switching compounds from Practice to Qualifying so that’ll be the challenge, but I think we can do it.”

As well as the other 21 drivers, there’s one other obstacle Sargeant could be facing in his quest for pole – the weather. Spots of rain trickled down during Practice followed by a heavy downpour between sessions and the clouds suggest there might be more to come. While some drivers enjoy racing in the rain, Sargeant’s keeping his fingers crossed it holds off until after the 30-minute session.

“Considering how Practice went, I’d like it to be dry! But if it is wet, I’m not too worried about it. I’m sure it’ll be just as good.”