Fears Logan Sargeant’s F1 future already ‘decided’ after crash reaction

Michelle Foster 29 Aug 2023 2:15 PM

Crashing out of the Dutch Grand Prix, one could understand if Logan Sargeant was dejected but Ralf Schumacher wonders if his sorrowful mood implies his future has been decided and it’s to his “disadvantage”.

Sargeant joined the Formula 1 grid this season, one of three debutants, but today there are just two standings – the Williams driver and Oscar Piastri after Nyck de Vries was dropped 10 races into the season.

De Vries’ departure from AlphaTauri saw the spotlight turn toward Sargeant as he too is point-less this season.

Ralf Schumacher speculates Logan Sargeant already knows his fate

That run continued at the Dutch Grand Prix where the Californian driver bagged his first-ever top-ten showing, only to crash out of the race on Lap 15 while running at the very back of the field.

Having already crashed in Q3 on Saturday, Sunday’s incident saw Sargeant hit the inside kerb at Turn 8 resulting in his FW45 losing hydraulic pressure leaving him with no steering.

He spun and hit the wall with the right side of the car before climbing out and going to sit on the grass banks with his helmet still on.

Clearly dejected by the crash, Schumacher reckons that’s because he’s already been told his fate and it doesn’t make for happy reading.

“Logan Sargeant looked very down after his crash,” the former F1 driver wrote in his post-Dutch GP column forSky Deutschland. “The American is fighting for his position at Williams.

“When we interviewed team boss James Vowles at the weekend, I thought he meant it honestly and was satisfied with Sargeant.

“But when Sargeant was so devastated at the race, I got the impression that there had already been a meeting where his future had been decided – to his disadvantage. But that’s just a feeling.”

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‘Williams is interesting for many drivers’

While Sargeant’s race ended in a DNF, his teammate Alex Albon scored points with his P8 on the day, bringing his and Williams’ tally for the season to 15.

Seventh in the standingsand seemingly on the rise, Schumacher says the Grove team would be an “interesting” prospect for many drivers, even former driver Nico Hulkenberg had he not already signed a multi-year deal with Haas last year.

“Williams is interesting for many drivers,” the six-time grand prix winner said. “I even think if Nico Hulkenberg had had the chance to go to Williams, he would have signed there.”

舒马赫,你gh, downplayed speculation linking his nephew Mick to Sargeant’s Williams seat.

“As for Mick and Williams, I wouldn’t read too much into it,” he said. “There are many drivers who want to get into Formula 1.”

Earlier this year Mick’s team boss Toto Wolff talked about Williams as being a possible destination for the German but conceded at the time that it wasn’t up to him.

This has been reiterated by several pundits, althoughMick doesn’t seem too confidentabout securing a 2024 race seat.

His uncle has urged him to remain patient, saying: “Formula 1 is very dynamic, anything can happen there. Mick is still in the middle of the action. In the McLaren tests, he is doing a great job, at least I have heard that. He needs to be a little patient.”