James Vowles shares how Alex Albon has suffered from partnering Logan Sargeant

Follow us on Google Discover

Williams will have a new driver line-up in 2025 as Carlos Sainz arrives to partner Alex Albon. It will likely lead to Logan Sargeant losing his place on the F1 grid.

The only realistic option for drivers like Sargeant at this point is the second Audi seat alongside Nico Hulkenberg. But his poor performances are likely to leave him at the back of the queue.

The American joined the F1 grid at the start of 2023 after impressing in Formula 2. It was a difficult rookie year, though, as he managed only one point to Albon’s 27.

Williams kept faith for this year, but James Vowles warned Sargeant he had to be ‘the surprise of the season’ to earn an extension. While Vowles maintains that he’s improved, it hasn’t been enough.

Remarkably, Albon has beaten Sargeant in every single Grand Prix qualifying session during their time as teammates. This is one of the longest streaks of its kind in F1 history.

The race head-to-head also makes for brutal reading, with the Thai driver 30-3 up. The points gap is much smaller this year (four vs zero), but that reflects Williams’ regression.

James Vowles says Logan Sargeant has been unable to push Alex Albon

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 at the Dutch Grand Prix, Vowles admitted that Albon had suffered from his dominance over Sargeant. He hasn’t had a teammate who can ‘push him forward’.

He’s said multiple times that Sainz and Albon may be the best pairing on the F1 grid. And he expects them to be ‘milliseconds’ apart next year.

That, in turn, will force the ex-Red Bull driver ‘into a new domain’. Vowles is hopeful that the arrival of Sainz will raise standards on the track and across the operation.

“The difference now is, when you have two drivers that are fighting for the same millisecond, you find different ways of adapting your driving,” he said. “You’ll see how quickly that pushes Alex forward as well.

“When you’re always leading against your teammate, you’re effectively not pushed to that same level. Every elite athlete that I’ve ever worked with, you find a way of forcing yourself into a new domain.”

Have Liberty Media kept Logan Sargeant at Williams for the rest of 2024?

Sargeant may not see out the 2024 season, despite the lack of an obvious replacement. He was involved in a heavy crash during the final practice session at the Dutch GP, likely damaging his chances further.

Esteban Ocon had a seat-fitting at Williams, but his move to Haas effectively rules out that arrangement. While Vowles also considered Kimi Antonelli, that may have been contingent on him staying at Grove for 2025, rather than jumping straight to Mercedes.

F1’s commercial rights holders, however, may be applying pressure. Ex-driver Marc Surer thinks Liberty Media may have lobbied for Sargeant given that there are three US-based events on the calendar this year.

The sport is still awaiting a high-flying driver to aid its growth in America. Sargeant is 20th in this year’s championship, only above Valtteri Bottas.