What is a Formula 1 Super Licence that Logan Sargeant needs to drive for Williams in 2023?

Capito announced on Saturday that the 21-year-old will move up to a full-time seat with Williams if he obtains his F1 Super Licence.

Logan Sargeant in a file photo. (Image; Twitter/ Williams F1 team)
By Nilavro Ghosh | Oct 28, 2022 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Logan Sargeant will race for Williams alongside Alex Albon in 2023, according to Jost Capito, if the American earns the required Super Licence points in the final Formula 2 round later this season. Sargeant took over the Williams FW44 from Nicholas Latifi during Friday practise in Austin, becoming the first American driver to participate in an F1 session since 2015. Capito announced on Saturday that the 21-year-old will move up to a full-time seat with Williams if he obtains his F1 Super Licence. “Yeah, we feel he’s ready to race,” said Capito, “under the condition that he has enough Super Licence points after Abu Dhabi, he will be our second driver next year.”

So what is an F1 Super Licence?

A super licence is required for any driver who wishes to compete in Formula 1. It is the most prestigious licence available and is granted by Formula One’s governing body, the FIA. Here’s what one needs to do to obtain one as per Wikipedia.

To qualify for an FIA Racing Super Licence an applicant must meet the requirements of the FIA’s International Sporting Code, Appendix L, Article 5. As of 2021, the article states:

  1. A minimum age of 18 at the start of their first F1 competition.
  2. An existing holder of an International Grade A competition licence.
  3. A holder of a valid driving licence.
  4. Passing of an FIA theory test on knowledge of the F1 sporting codes and regulations when applying for the first time.
  5. Completed at least 80% of each of two full seasons of any of the single-seater Championships reported in Supplement 1 of the regulations.
  6. Accumulated at least 40 points over the previous three seasons in any combination of the championships reported in Supplement 1 of the regulations.

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Provided a driver has previously held a super licence, they do not have to meet these requirements:

  • A driver who has held a valid super licence for any of the previous three seasons is eligible for a new licence.
  • A driver who has previously held a super licence but has not held a valid licence within the previous three years issue is subject to completion of 300 km at race speeds in a representative F1 car over no more than two days, either as part of a test certified by a national racing authority or as part of an official F1 session. This must be completed no more than 180 days before their application.

What does Logan Sargeant need to do to obtain one?

As per GPblog.com, Sargeant’s free practise sessions in Mexico and Abu Dhabi have been scheduled to aid in his preparation. Williams will also back his super licence application. Sargeant won two races in his first year in Formula 2 and currently sits third in the championship, with only the final race in Abu Dhabi remaining. Sargeant’s position in the Formula 2 standings is determined by the bonus points he is eligible for under the licencing system.

He has 27 points from his Formula 3 results, a bonus point for driving FP1 at the United States Grand Prix on Friday, and should be eligible for two more bonus points if he completes the entire 2021 F3 season without incurring any licence penalty points. In addition, if he has an incident-free weekend in Abu Dhabi, he will receive two more bonus points. Because Williams has decided to run Sargeant in Mexico and Abu Dhabi for FP1, he can now earn two more bonus points for his efforts.

This could give Sargeant a whopping 34 super licence points, allowing him to qualify for an F1 super licence with an eighth-place finish in the F2 championship. Given that he is 21 points behind ninth in the F2 standings, Sargeant is very likely to secure a super licence. In fact, even if he does not qualify for the bonus points awarded to drivers who complete an entire FIA championship without receiving penalty points, he is still in a good position.