Williams signing with Formula 1 Logan Sargeant claims that because he was "at peace with what was at stake," he felt less pressure than he had anticipated upon securing his FIA superlicence in Abu Dhabi's Formula 2 season finale.
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Williams confirmed Sargeant as their 2023 Formula One driver during the United States Grand Prix, but only under the condition that he could qualify for a superlicense. The American had to finish no lower than sixth in the drivers’ standings with one F2 round remaining in order to surpass the required 40 points. That was far from a given given the competitive championship standings and the famously unpredictable character of F2, but Sargeant made it through the Abu Dhabi weekend uninjured to clinch fourth and book his ticket to F1. While Sargeant acknowledged that getting the licence was a weight off his shoulders, he actually felt less pressure than expected because he had accepted the fact that his F1 ambition may end with just one incident.
Williams did not provide Sargeant with any additional goals for this year, he continued, other than earning enough superlicence points in what he called a “good first season.” “None that I was specifically told,” he said. “To earn my superlicense, I had to just just perform well and place high in the championship. We had a pretty good inaugural season with Carlin, but perhaps we didn’t always execute as well as we could have. However, I believe that our pace was extremely powerful, and we performed well in the championship.
Given the scant pre-season testing in Bahrain, Sargeant’s year-long tenure as a member of the Williams programme has allowed him to get as ready as he possibly could for his 2023 F1 debut. When questioned about his driving development since 2022, he responded as follows: “In my opinion, completing a complete Formula 2 season, learning a lot about myself this year, and participating in a lot of racing have all contributed to this. “I believe that I have my qualifying performances down pat. However, what truly offers me the chance to push out my limits is the amount of time I’ve spent on the F1 simulator, the FP1s I’ve done recently, and coming into this last test.
