After a successful four-year spell between the Formula Two and Formula Three championships, American Logan Sargeant is looking to put his country back on the map as he joins Williams for the upcoming 2023 F1 season.
Becoming the first American driver in the sport since Alexander Rossi — who raced five times for Manor Marussia F1 Team in 2015 — Sargeant will be looking to make an instant impact after finishing fourth in F2 last season, winning two races along the way.
His progression will be tested by his new Williams team, though, given that the British outfit finished bottom of the Constructors' Championship last season despite the best efforts of Alex Albon, Sargeant's new teammate.
The Sporting News has everything you need to know about Sargeant, his previous racing experience and what the future might hold in F1 for the American rookie.
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Who is Logan Sargeant?
Born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on New Years Eve in 2000, Sargeant is the latest American driver to race in Formula One and the first since Alexander Rossi in 2015.
Set to race for British team Williams in the 2023 Formula One season, he began his racing career at the age of just eight in karting.
Since then, Sargeant has risen through the world of motorsport quickly, competing in both F3 and F2 in recent years and was announced to be joining the Williams Driver Academy back in October 2021.
That doesn't always pave the way for a move into the driver's seat in F1, but his consistency and improvement has forced his team's hand into giving him a spot for the upcoming 2023 season.
Family-wise, he is the bother of professional stock car racing driver Dalton Sargeant and is also the nephew of Harry Sargeant III, an American billionaire and energy magnate.
Speaking to press recently, Sargeant touched upon his roots and how important it is for the sport to have another American driver amongst its ranks.
"Being the first American in a while is honestly such a privilege," Sargeant said at the launch of Williams' 2023 car, before adding: "It's a great opportunity to represent my country to the best of my ability. Having three home grands prix is not something many, if anyone, has ever been able to say so I'm looking forward to being able to enjoy those moments. I just really see it as a privilege and an honour."
Logan Sargeant career highlights and progression
In karting, Sargeant competed across the States before heading to Europe to take part in the ROK Cup International Final, Trofeo Delle Industrie, and WSK Euro Series — prestigious competitions for younger drivers.
By 2015, he was already winning awards and next up was his single-seater debut in 2016 in the Formula 4 UAE Championship with Team Motopark. Taking 15 podium finishes across the 18 races that season, the American took to the format quickly, showcasing his lightning pace and quick decision-making along the way.
In 2019, he made his F3 debut, winning his first race at Silverstone before adding a second in Belgium at Spa. Everything looked rosy in terms of progress but, in 2021, Sargeant was forced to abort his move to F2 due to financial reasons and move back to F3.
"I was 100 percent sure it was dead at that point, to be honest," Sargeant told Motorsport.com when discussing that season.
"At that point, I just thought I was going to be heading towards the LMP or IndyCar route, which at the time I was content with. It was just my reality at the time. That's where I felt like were my only two places that I could still turn to. The F3 seat was just simply just to pass some time and stay in a car, and help a team move forward and a different position for myself, let's say. To be honest, I feel like it in the end was all extremely beneficial and helped me massively. So, I'm glad I did it all."
Thankfully for him, his chance in F2 came at the back end of the 2021 season, competing in two races before claiming a driving seat for 2022 with Carlin.
In the following July at Silverstone, Sargeant became the first American driver to win an F2 race and after claiming a second victory in Austria, Williams made the decision to bring the American up to F1 for 2023 following displays worthy of the Rookie of the Season title.
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Logan Sargeant debut F1 season: How will he perform?
It's difficult to say just how well Sargeant will perform this season, though expectations aren't too high given Williams' recent struggles on the track.
The British team, constructors' champions nine times between 1980 and 1997, picked up a total of just eight championship points last season — 751 fewer than champions Red Bull — so any top-10 finishes for the American in his first season in the sport would be a bonus.
As such, there shouldn't be too much pressure on the 22-year-old, who will largely be judged on performance against team-mate Albon.
That said, Albon has a growing reputation in F1 and has previously raced for Red Bull himself so he'll prove tough to beat for Sargeant. The British driver has two podiums under his belt and has taken 201 points across 59 starts in the sport. His experience could also help Sargeant to find his feet quickly.
Sargeant's main aim will be to secure a contract extension as quickly as possible through his performances across both qualifying and race days. That's something that will be likely if he can continue his great start with the team through the Williams' driving academy off the race track.
Former Williams Racing Team Principal Jost Capito — who has since been replaced by James Vowles for 2023 — touched upon that when his team officially announced Sargeant's contract.
He remarked: "We're delighted to officially announce Logan as our driver for next year after qualifying for a Super Licence following the final F2 event of the season in Abu Dhabi. Logan completes our exciting driver line-up for 2023 alongside Alex.
"Since joining our Driver Academy at the end of 2021, Logan has been able to fully integrate with the team at Grove while on the simulator and more recently at track during the four free practice sessions he's participated in. He's had a strong rookie season in Formula Two, and we are excited to watch him make the step up in Formula One. We are here to support that journey with him."