Until penning his contract with Carlin in December, Logan Sargeant admits he doubted whether he would make it to Formula 2 full-time, following an uncertain period on the back of his 2020 Formula 3 title challenge, which left him questioning whether he would even race again.

Despite nearly winning the F3 title with PREMA Racing in 2020, Sargeant didn’t officially secure a drive for 2021 until May. He’d been expected to step up to F2, but he remained in the third tier with Charouz Racing System, being announced just days before the start of the season.

He went on to reward the Czech team with their strongest ever Formula 3 campaign, which earned him a place in the Williams Driver Academy and a full-time spot on the F2 grid for 2022 with Carlin.

“I didn't know this day would ever come until just recently, so for it to all come together is a dream come true, “said Sargeant. “It is fantastic. It finally gives me a chance to really go for it in F2 and be that much closer to Formula 1.”

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Last year Sargeant led Charouz Racing System to their strongest F3 season
Last year, Sargeant led Charouz Racing System to their strongest F3 season

Sargeant’s experience and pedigree helped lift Charouz to new heights in F3 last season, with the American securing the team’s first podium at that level in the fourth round of the season at Budapest. Three further rostrums and a maiden victory for the team followed, with the American taking points in 15 of the 21 races.

Announced as a Williams’ junior last October, Sargeant was given an early opportunity to impress the F1 team during the Abu Dhabi Young Driver Test.

“Wrapping up my first F1 test, and how amazing that was, is only going to help to motivate me with how much I want to get back into that car,” Sargeant continued. “I would say that it was probably the best day that I’ve ever had in a race car.

“The amount of braking performance, downforce, grip and power the car had was honestly out of this world. I was so shocked. It was a super, super good and enjoyable day and I am happy with how it turned out.”

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Sargeant ran for Carlin at post-season testing in Abu Dhabi
Sargeant ran for Carlin at post-season testing in Abu Dhabi

Fuelled with the increased motivation from his maiden F1 outing, Sargeant’s attention then switched to F2, where he will hope to be a frontrunner with Carlin, who won the Teams’ title back in 2018 and have finished third for the last two campaigns.

Having already made his debut - in the penultimate round of the 2021 season with HWA RACELAB at Jeddah - Sargeant got a jump start on his 2022 preparations, but there was still plenty of work to do with his new team in F2’s end of season tests at Yas Marina.

“I know a lot of these guys from my season with them in 2019,” said Sargeant, who notched four top 10 finishes with Carlin in his rookie year of F3. “There are a lot of familiar faces and that is nice.

“The (F2) car is pretty heavy, and it has carbon brakes, which is different to F3. The 18-inch tyres are different to F3 as well, so there have been quite a few things for me to get my head around.”

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Sargeant drove F1 machinery for Williams at the Abu Dhabi Young Driver Test
Sargeant drove F1 machinery for Williams at the Abu Dhabi Young Driver Test

Clocking in 247 laps, Sargeant topped the afternoon session on Day 2 in Abu Dhabi, while also making the top 10 in the morning on both Days 1 and 3.

“It seems as if it is going pretty well, my confidence is growing, and I think we can just keep getting better,” he continued. “As always, the team are definitely looking to improve car performance.

“From my side, I need to get on top of the tyres and the brakes, as well as how the car needs to be driven in general. That was my goal across the three-days of post-season testing.”