Logan Sargeant admits Williams F1 star took ‘a step back’ from what will ‘help’

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Logan Sargeant has now admitted that he took ‘a step back’ from what he accepts could ‘help’ the Williams driver across his rookie season in Formula 1 during 2023.

The 23-year-old recorded a mixed campaign as Sargeant made his debut in the pinnacle of motorsport last year. Williams brought the American up from their driver academy after one season in Formula 2. But he would only register one point through 22 rounds as an F1 driver.

No driver finished below Sargeant in the championship who entered each round of 2023. He finished in 21st place with Nyck de Vries, who entered 10 rounds with AlphaTauri before Red Bull axed him, in 22nd and last. Alex Albon ranked in 13th place with 27 points for Williams.

Alex Albon wiped the floor with Logan Sargeant as Williams teammates

Sargeant also needed a bit of misfortune for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to score his only point. The American claimed his sole top 10 finish with P10 at the United States GP last October after the stewards disqualified the Mercedes and Ferrari pilots owing to floor wear.

Williams have stuck with Sargeant for a second season, nonetheless, so will want consistent improvement from him throughout 2024. Albon beat the Fort Lauderdale, Florida native 22-0 in their Grand Prix qualifying head-to-head in 2023 and 19-3 for Grand Prix results, as well.

Albon further wiped the floor with Sargeant in the Sprint weekends with a 6-0 record in the Sprint Shootout sessions and for Sprint results. Sargeant also only made Q3 during a Grand Prix qualifying session twice to Albon’s seven appearances and he exited after Q1 17 times.

Logan Sargeant admits he had to ‘take a step back’ as a Formula 1 rookie

Sargeant has now reflected on his rookie season in Formula 1 and admits he felt the need to ‘take a step back’ at times. The Williams driver, initially, found himself getting caught in the F1 bubble. So, he sought changes, even if it took him away from what could help his results.

“I’ve learned to take a step back,” Sargeant has explained to Speedcafe. “It’s very easy to get caught up in the moment and not appreciate what you have [and] what you’re doing.

“The opportunity to drive an F1 car… you take a step back, take a few breaths and you give yourself a little bit of time. Even if that’s stepping away from what is, technically, going to help you sometimes. You need to do that to get your head back in the right place.

“And I think that’s completely normal, though. It’s not something that is just [because I was] a rookie. We all experience that. We all get tired through a season. That’s when you have to remind yourself how lucky you are to be where you are.”