Williams snubbed 20-year-old Ferrari’s Vasseur called ‘great’ to retain Logan Sargeant

Follow us on Google Discover

Williams have now signed Logan Sargeant up for a second season in Formula 1 after snubbing potential moves to acquire Theo Pourchaire or Mick Schumacher for 2024.

That is according to Lawrence Barretto, who reports that Williams opted to give Sargeant an extension after a promising rookie campaign. The 22-year-old rose to team principal James Vowles’ challenge to deliver improved results and edge closer to Alex Albon’s true race pace.

Williams admired how Sargeant responded to Vowles’ challenge and the team’s data proved that the American was making solid progress. He also became the first American in 30 years to score a point in F1. Sargeant took P10 for the United States GP after late disqualifications.

Williams saw a lack of alternative drivers to replace Logan Sargeant

But another factor that aided Sargeant’s bid to keep his drive at Williams was that the Grove squad saw a lack of alternatives. While the team spoke to Aston Martin reserve driver Felipe Drugovich, they ultimately decided the 2022 Formula 2 champion was not their right choice.

The 2023 Formula 2 champion, Pourchaire, was also possibly available after Sauber opted to retain Zhou Guanyu beside Valtteri Bottas. Pourchaire has been a member of Sauber’s driver academy since 2019. He also won the 2019 ADAC F4 title and finished second in F3 in 2020.

Williams did not consider Theo Pourchaire or Mick Schumacher

Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari’s team principal, also hailed Pourchaire for his ‘great’ performances in F2 while Sauber’s F1 team principal – then running under the Alfa Romeo name – in 2022. But Williams did not consider a move to poach Pourchaire while assessing Sargeant’s future.

The 20-year-old will now stay with Sauber as the team’s reserve driver in 2024. Reports from Motorsport.com also claim that Sauber are looking to place Pourchaire in Super Formula for the 2024 season. A move to Japan would give the Frenchman a quick car near to F1 speeds.

Another alternative driver for Williams had they elected to replace Sargeant may have been Schumacher. But the Grove squad ‘never’ considered the Mercedes reserve to be a genuine option. The 24-year-old instead joined Alpine’s Hypercar roster for the 2024 WEC season.