Sargeant, who has been a part of Williams' young driver programme for little over a year, finished fourth in the F2 standings this season.
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Sargeant, 21, will make history by becoming the first American to compete in an F1 race since Scott Speed in 2007 and the first full-time American driver since Alexander Rossi made five starts at the end of the 2015 season. Sargeant, who has been a part of Williams’ young driver programme for little over a year, finished fourth in the F2 standings this season. This year, he participated in four FP1 sessions with the team, which helped him get acclimated before making his F1 debut. Sargeant added, “Being granted this opportunity to participate in Formula 1 with Williams Racing is a tremendous honour and a dream come true.
“I would like to extend a sincere appreciation to everyone at Williams Racing and Dorilton Motor Sports for their support ever since the day I joined the team at the 2021 United States Grand Prix. “Being a member of the Williams Driver Academy for the past year has provided me with a crucial platform to advance as a driver and get ready for this next chapter. As the squad attempts to move up the grid, I’m eager and ready to take part in this quest.
Sargeant will step up to replace Nicholas Latifi for 2023 if he earns the necessary FIA superlicence points, Williams F1 boss Jost Capito said at last month’s United States Grand Prix. Sargeant was left needing a top-six finish in Formula 2 in order to be certain of the superlicense, something he was not guaranteed to achieve if outcomes went against him in the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi. Nevertheless, Sargeant came in fourth place, earning the superlicence and, with it, a spot in the Williams lineup alongside Alex Albon for the following season. In the post-season test on Tuesday at the Yas Marina Circuit, he will make his debut as a Williams F1 driver. He will be piloting the FW44.
Logan qualified for a super licence following the final F2 race of the season in Abu Dhabi, and we’re thrilled to officially announce him as our driver for the upcoming season, said Capito. Logan has been able to thoroughly integrate with the team at Grove when using the simulator and more recently on the track during the four free practice sessions he’s taken part in since entering our driver programme at the end of 2021. We are eager to watch him make the transition to Formula 1 after a good debut season in Formula 2. We are here to assist him on that journey.
Sargeant felt that his preparations this year, which included both F2 racing and experience gained with Williams in F1 through practise appearances and simulator work, had prepared him well for his 2023 F1 debut. In a phone interview on Monday, Sargeant said, “I just feel like [there has been] the mix of going through a complete Formula 2 season, just learning a lot this year about myself, as well as a lot of racing.” “I believe that I have my qualifying performances down pat. “But most important is the amount of time I’ve spent on the F1 simulator, the FP1s I’ve done as of late, and coming into this last test, that’s what really gives me the chance to push out my comfort zones and improve the most.”
