Who could be the next American Formula 1 driver after Williams dropped Logan Sargeant?

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There have been only four US-born drivers on the Formula 1 grid in the past 30 years. When Logan Sargeant joined the grid in 2023 he represented a new chapter in American drivers on the Formula 1 grid.

It was the first time since Alexander Rossi in 2015, who completed the final five races that season, a driver from the US had competed in F1.

Before Rossi and Logan Sargeant there was Scott Speed who, despite having an appropriate name, failed to score any points for the two seasons he was at Red Bull junior team Toro Rosso. You would have to go back to 1990 and Michael Andretti, who is currently trying to join the grid via his own team, to find the last US F1 driver before the 21st century.

Sargeant’s arrival came at a time when F1 was starting to boom in the United States and there was an appetite for young talent coming through the ranks. It was always going to be a steep learning curve, but his performances in F1 feeder series Formula 2 throughout 2022 made it worth the risk.

Pressure was put on Sargeant at the start of this year to improve his results, but it was clear in the background that Williams had a Plan B when they initiated talks with Carlos Sainz.

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It was a shame that Sargeant’s only points finish came at the misfortune of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc being disqualified from last year’s US Grand Prix, but it shows he could never really string together a perfect weekend.

Now that he has been dropped, is there any hope for another American driver to make it to the F1 grid?

Formula 1’s next American hopeful might not be far off

Luckily for American fans there are a few talents in the feeder series pipeline to get excited about, but there is one that might not be far off joining the grid.

Jak Crawford has emerged as one of the most promising talents from the US currently racing in Formula 2 and running fifth in the standings. He won the Feature Race at the Circuit de Catalunya Barcelona earlier this year and has achieved a couple of podiums since then, including Silverstone and Spa.

He joined the Aston Martin Young Driver Development Programme after being released by Red Bull at the end of last year and impressed those within the team. The 18-year-old completed his maiden test with the team in June at the wheel of the AMR22 around the Red Bull Ring.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Robert Sattler, who is the young driver programme director, was impressed by what he saw by the American having never been in F1 machinery before when speaking on the Aston Martin website: “We know that the switch in driving style between F2 to F1 is not easy, but Jak adapted to the car quickly and he worked well with the team to improve as the day progressed.”

Crawford has also been a key part of the team’s support race operations at their state-of-the-art Technology Campus in Silverstone. As Aston Martin also looks set to sign Adrian Newey as their lead car designer, things could be promising for the next American talent if he shows more progress in F2.

Liberty Media wants more American drivers in F1, but are there barriers to entry?

After F1’s popularity in the US prompted Liberty Media to have a record four races in North America, there has never been a better time for another F1 driver from the country to follow on from Sargeant.

That being said, there are currently only two other American talents racing in the F1 feeder championships: iRacer-turned-driver Max Esterson and Juan Manuel Correa, who made a comeback to F2 following his life-threatening crash in 2019.

Part of this could be down to the barriers to entry for American drivers. Although the racing pyramid is there with regional Formula 4 and USF2000, drivers must still make the jump to European-based series to be considered.

F1 has a tricky relationship with promoting drivers from IndyCar due to the Super Licence rules, as evidenced by the Colton Herta situation in 2022 with Red Bull, plus the adjustment to life in Europe can be costly and isolating.

As Sargeant’s journey has proven, reaching F1 can be no guarantee of success. A team is only as competitive as the car it produces, but with more drivers from the US breaking through it could pave the way for future success outside of domestic championships for one of F1’s most lucrative markets.