Williams' dilemma: Can Sargeant overcome challenges and secure his seat?
May 22 - Just like Nyck de Vries, fellow Formula 1 rookie Logan Sargeant is already under pressure to keep his race seat.
Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko has admitted AlphaTauri newcomer de Vries, after a difficult start to 2023, will come under intense scrutiny now that the sport has returned to more familiar European circuits.
The same also seems to be the case for American rookie Sargeant, 22, who has struggled with a string of qualifying losses to teammate Alex Albon as well as multiple mistakes.
Williams team boss James Vowles admitted recently that he had misgivings about Sargeant from the beginning, as he was appointed by his ousted predecessor Jost Capito.
"I was a little bit reticent in wondering whether it would take him a little bit of time to get used to it," Vowles said.
But he insisted to Speed Week that Sargeant is in the 2023 car "because he's fast".
"But he has to start controlling things and delivering them cleanly," Vowles added.
But apart from making mistakes, Sargeant is also struggling for pace - having been outqualified by Albon on every single occasion so far this season.
"I don't expect him to be able to keep up with Alex's pace," Vowles said. "He also has a number of races behind him now in which he had never seen the circuit."
According to Sport1, Vowles' former boss at Mercedes - Toto Wolff - is believed to be pushing for Sargeant to be replaced at Williams by reserve Mick Schumacher.
Schumacher is attending every grand prix as Mercedes' official reserve this year and he sounds determined to return to the grid as soon as possible.
"I believe in the zodiac signs," Schumacher laughed to Bild newspaper. "I'm an Aries and I'll bang my head against the wall to come back."
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What dilemma? He hasn't underperformed per se, so all those sacking rumors were seemingly unfounded.
Most importantly, he's fared better than Latifi, which was the minimum, & he quickly proved an improvement from him.
Only De Vries is truly under threat for underperforming.
But how much money does he bring to the team compared to Latifi? It's not about talent; it's all about sponsor dollars these days, unfortunately.
Sponsor money (if he even brings any) from drivers is secondary to all teams nowadays.
He fared decently enough in lower single-seaters to warrant an F1 drive on merit.
JJ how much Norris's dad pay Mcl for Jnrs seat, i heard it was about 20M...!
It's unfair to compare Sargeant with Albon! Alex has been racing in F1 for several years now, knows the circuits and knows the car after a few seasons with Williams.
Sargeant went well in F2 and showed he has potential. He should be given more opportunity to settle into the Williams team and the car. Vowles should not throw the baby out with the bath water!
In my dreams, I find myself witnessing the electrifying sight of Max Verstappen blazing down the high-speed Conrod Straight. With DRS now activated, Verstappen's RB19 car, a precision-engineered beast, is rapidly closing in on Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes, which struggles to withstand the storm that is about to be unleashed.
Max’s determination becomes palpable. His focus intensifies with every passing second as he skillfully guides the beast through the twists and turns of the Bathurst track. Meanwhile, Hamilton is on the radio, pleading for help as he tries to defend his position. However, the power and speed of Max's RB19 are simply unmatched. Before long, Hamilton becomes nothing more than a fading image in Max's side mirrors.
Oops this was meant for the Circuit Paul Ricard why the hell can’t you delete posts on here.
What a delicious mmmm reality, to put the Dame back in her box
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