Logan Sargeant believes Formula 2 must become more similar to Formula 1 to help improve the transitional phase for drivers.
Sargeant began his rookie F1 season in reasonable form, setting an identical time to Lando Norris in qualifying and barely missing out on Q2.
His performance in race trim was also competitive, staying within touching distance of Alex Albon throughout the 56 laps. At the next round in Jeddah, despite making a few errors, the American’s pace seemed more than reasonable.
However, his form would decline in the following rounds. Despite accumulating more experience in the opening half of the year, Sargeant struggled to match the efforts of his teammate.
Williams showed no signs of dissatisfaction with the 23-year-old, with James Vowles consistently defending Sargeant from criticism.
Even as unforced errors ramped up in Zandvoort and Suzuka, the Grove-based team’s support seemed unwavering. With no obvious alternative lined up, it was unsurprising to see Williams retain the same driver line-up for 2024.
Despite keeping his place, Sargeant believes the gulf between Formula 2 and Formula 1 is too significant:
“I think the cars are probably a bit too far apart,” he explained.
“There are just so many little details in Formula 1, and there are so many more factors that play a role in your performance in the car…
“A lot of that you can’t do in a Formula 2 car. And that’s where something is missing.”
It is not uncommon for drivers to struggle to make the step from F2 to F1. After all, there is a clear increase in difficulty – both in terms of managing the cars and competing with the best drivers in the world.
The likes of Liam Lawson and Oscar Piastri, it must be said, performed at a far higher level than Sargeant in 2023.
Although both drivers are generally seen as more talented than Sargeant, their performances perhaps overshadowed Sargeant’s more than anticipated.
This is especially true for Lawson, who delivered results almost instantly for AlphaTauri. Then again, some might attribute this to the Kiwi’s time competing in SuperFormula.
Regardless, the next twelve months will see a plethora of talent competing in Formula 2. As a result, the likes of Logan Sargeant will be under pressure to prove themselves.
Author: Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
