After deciding to give Logan Sargeant the drive, Williams believed it would have been "unfair" to keep drivers vying for their Formula 1 seat for 2023 hanging on.
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Over the course of the United States Grand Prix weekend, Williams team principal Jost Capito disclosed that Formula 2 driver Sargeant would be receiving a seat in the driver’s seat for the upcoming season, provided he earned the necessary FIA super licence points. Sargeant was under pressure to reach the 40-point mark with his F2 performances in the championship-clinching round in Abu Dhabi, but he managed to finish well enough. One day later, Williams duly confirmed Sargeant in the 2023 position, replacing departing driver Nicholas Latifi.
Capito has since resigned from his position as team principal at Williams, but he gave an explanation of why he publicly announced that Sargeant would get the seat before the super licence was in place in an interview at the end of the season before he left, saying there were “many things” behind the decision. Capito stated, “We spoke with other drivers as well.
“I believe it would be unfair to have someone wait indefinitely if we know what we’re going to do, like Mick Schumacher or [Antonio] Giovinazzi, or anybody else is pushing [for the seat]. “If you know what you’re doing, I believe it’s fair to let people know what you’re planning to do, and if you do that, you can say it publicly as well. We are a team that is really honest, transparent, and clear. Why shouldn’t we communicate that decision if we have already made it?
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Despite knowing what was at stake, Sargeant said that he felt “less pressure than expected” coming into the Abu Dhabi final, feeling “at peace” with the many eventualities. Since 2007 when Scott Speed drove for Toro Rosso, Sargeant will be the first American to compete in Formula One on a full-time basis. The final American driver was Alexander Rossi, who competed in five races for Marussia towards the conclusion of the 2015 season. Capito claimed that the timing of the Sargeant announcement was also meant to coincide with the US election in Austin. Capito remarked, “It’s an American driver, it’s Austin, and it gets you the most out of it.” That’s why things worked out in Austin,”
