Which American racing prospects are looking to follow Logan Sargeant into F1?

Logan Sargeant prepares to make his Formula 1 debut as the American racer blazes a trail for a group of compatriots with the same goal.

With Formula 1 enjoying and taking full advantage of its popularity surge in the United States, there was a great desire to see an American driver on the grid, as long as it was done in the right way.

And now the dream has been realised as Sargeant graduates from Williams junior driver to Formula 1 racer, following a P4 finish in the 2022 Formula 2 Championship.

所以,作为其第一个美国赛车f1欢迎since Alexander Rossi in 2015, the question is, could anyone else soon join him?

Well, American fans will be happy to hear that there is a healthy crop of U.S. racers battling away in Formula 2 and Formula 3, the final steps on the junior ladder to F1, plus arguably a more well-known name who has had several near misses already now when it comes to a Formula 1 seat.

So, let’s run you through these drivers in question…

Colton Herta

We will start, then, with the driver that so very nearly made it two Americans on the F1 2023 grid, Red Bull having tried to sign the IndyCar star for their AlphaTauri team.

Ultimately it came down to Herta not having enough Super Licence points to be granted entry into the series, with no alternate door opening to get the final few needed and the FIA refusing to grant an exemption. Nyck de Vries instead then would be signed to AlphaTauri.

It was another bitter pill to swallow for Herta, who almost found himself on the 2022 grid as Michael Andretti attempted to purchase the Sauber-operated Alfa Romeo team, that deal falling apart at the very last hour.

But, still in his early 20s and preparing for a fresh IndyCar season with Andretti Autosport, there is still every chance that it could soon be third time lucky for Herta when it comes to finding a way onto the Formula 1 grid.

Jak Crawford

And of the American racers still plying their trade in the junior series, Jak Crawford is the one who right now looks like the nation’s most exciting prospect.

Backed by the Red Bull Junior Team, Crawford enjoyed a strong second F3 season in 2022, winning one race and making the podium five times overall on his way to P7 in the final standings.

And still aged only 17, the racing prodigy from Charlotte, North Carolina will step up to Hitech’s Formula 2 line-up for 2023, where he will have the chance to put his skills on display to Red Bull at his highest category of competition yet.

And with Yuki Tsunoda under pressure to retain his AlphaTauri seat beyond 2023, while it is still unknown how De Vries will perform over his first full season, there is a strong possibility that a Formula 1 call-up could be in Crawford’s near future if he can deliver in F2.

The Red Bull junior set-up has not been anywhere near as prolific recently as years past, so the team would love nothing more than for a new star to emerge and get the ball rolling again. Crawford could be the one to do it.

胡安•曼努埃尔•科雷亚

The American-Ecuadorian racer is now well on his way with efforts to put his racing career back together, following the devastating Spa crash which he was involved in back in 2019, which tragically claimed the life of Anthoine Hubert and left Correa in intensive care.

After a lengthy rehabilitation process and having spent time in Formula 3 with ART Grand Prix, Correa makes the move to Van Amersfoort Racing for the 2023 Formula 2 campaign, having also contested the final round of the 2022 F2 season with that team.

Now choosing to race under the American flag, it would be a remarkable and emotional story if Correa was able to make it all the way to Formula 1.

PlanetF1.com recommends

US rookie Logan Sargeant believed F1 ‘dream’ was already dead by 2021
Andretti: We’re not asking for any favours, we’re bringing something to the party
Logan Sargeant backs F1 to soon surpass NASCAR popularity in U.S.

Hunter Yeany

Crawford is not the only teenage prospect looking to make waves in the junior series, 17-year-old Hunter Yeany is out to do the same as he prepares for another opportunity in Formula 3, and this time he will be hoping for a full campaign.

That was the goal for 2022, but the Virginia native would suffer a wrist injury after a collision at the Austria round, which forced him to miss the feature race there and the three rounds which followed.

His 2023 campaign though will be contested with Carlin, a team dripping with success when it comes to junior racing, so now Yeany has a real opportunity to score his first points in F3 and achieve much more beyond that.

Kaylen Frederick

Kaylen Frederick has proven in the past that he knows how to win, having claimed the 2020 British Formula 3 Championship title, but the Maryland-born racer is still waiting for it to really click in Formula 3.

Having scored just 27 points with Hitech in 2022, Frederick returns for his third F3 campaign this time as an ART Grand Prix driver, the team with whom Victor Martins claimed the 2023 F3 title. No pressure, then!

Brad Benavides

Hailing from Florida, 21-year-old Brad Benavides is now really at the now or never stage when it comes to his chances of one day being a Formula 1 driver.

Still struggling to find his footing in single-seater racing, and having scored only three points with Carlin during the 2022 F3 season, Benavides will nonetheless step up to F2 for the 2023 season with PHM Racing by Charouz.