Sargeant brushes off distracting chatter about Antonelli
Logan Sargeant is keeping his head down and focusing on his own performance in 2024, refusing to get distracted by talk that his Williams seat is at risk of being handed over to Mercedes junior driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Antonelli is currently taking part in his rookie season in the Formula 2 championship, but the 17-year-old has been hotly tipped as a successor to Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes next season.
There was a burst of speculation that Antonelli's accession to F1 might come even sooner than that when it emerged that the FIA had received a request to waive the superlicence minimum age requirement of 18.
It led to gossip that Mercedes wanted to install Antonelli at customer team Williams for the rest of the season, before a move to Mercedes in 2025. However team boss Toto Wolff insisted it hadn't been Mercedes making the request, stating that this was "not something we have pursued".
Sargeant has certainly not had the best start to his sophomore season in F1 so far, although his absence from the Australian GP was down to a mistake on the part of team mate Alex Albon who needed to take over his chassis.
But the 23-year-old American failed to finish his home race in Miami last week after being swept into the wall by Kevin Magnussen to become the sole retirement of the afternoon.
Despite that latest disappointment, Sargeant insists that he's not thinking about all the distractions swirling around his future. "I'm just doing my job the best I can," he said.
"Jumping into FP1 [last] weekend was the most comfortable I felt all year and I feel like I was straightaway on it," he continued. "If I look since Australia, I feel like it's been going relatively well, from a pace front.
"In Japan I was getting almost everything out of it. Of course China was disappointing, but again [in Miami] I felt like I did a good job. Just looking for that last tenth, but nonetheless enjoying being home and delivering the best I can."
But with the press detecting blood in the water, questions about his job security at Williams still came thick and fast with Sargeant asked whether he's had talks with Williams principal James Vowles.
"No, I wouldn't say [there have been discussions]. I wouldn't say so, no. I talked to James internally. I talked to my managers," he added. "That's all internal talk. I'm not gonna say anything."
Antonelli isn't the only driver rumoured to be in the running for the Williams seat, with Ralf Schumacher flying the flag for his nephew Mick who is currently reserve driver for Mercedes after two seasons racing for Haas.
“It’s clear that Sargeant is overwhelmed,” Schumacher - himself a former F1 driver with Jordan and Toyota, and six time race winner with Williams - told the Formula1.de YouTube channel. “That’s how it is.
“He makes a lot of mistakes and you can tell by looking at him. The body language says it all," he added. “I think he and the team would do themselves a favour if they can somehow find a solution.
"It’s essential for the management to bring in a second good driver in order to get out of the current situation," he argued. “I do believe Mick has the potential and deserves a place compared to some others are currently driving in F1."
For his part, Vowles continues to support Sargeant and insists that he will stay in the car for the foreseeable future. “We’re still on that journey. What Logan has as a challenge fundamentally in front of him is enormous.
“What I’ve been asking from him is despite the pressures of the world, the pressures we’ve created, the pressures I’ve created, the pressure [the media] has created, you need to pool that all and put it behind you.
"Make sure you’re now out there fighting and outqualifying Alex, pushing the team forward as a result of things," he advised Sargeant. "Those targets are effectively encompassed in a number of other more formal ways of putting it.
"Without doubt this is a tough field, there’s no doubt about it," Vowles acknowledged. "But he’s in the car, he’ll remain in the car and my job here is to support him.”
“I don’t understand the patience," was Ralf Schumacher's response. "I grew up differently in Formula 1. A contract wasn’t of any use to you.
“Of course you can wait. You can do anything. You can let him drive for another ten years. But Eddie Jordan or Frank Williams would never have had that much patience."
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