26 September 2023 , 06:00
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Williams' patience with Logan Sargeant has been admirable, but it's starting to get to the point where it is going to run out.
The American remains pointless in his maiden Formula 1 season. Red Bull axed fellow rookie Nyck de Vries after just 10 races with AlphaTauri but, after 16, Sargeant is still in place.
And, to be clear, there have been no signs from the Williams camp that the situation is going to change. There are six weekends remaining – three of them Sprints – and the 22-year-old is fully expected to compete in all of them.
It's his 2024 place which remains in doubt. That is harsh in many ways, not least because he was supposed to still be racing in Formula 2 this year. It is not Sargeant's fault that Oscar Piastri joined McLaren and De Vries turned Williams down for that AlphaTauri move.
But there is little room for good will in a sport like F1. It may not be quite as cut-throat as it used to be in many ways but, make no mistake, the priorities remain results and money. The latter always used to be the chief concern but, in the cost cap era and with the 10 teams on solid financial footing, pay drivers are going the way of the dodo bird.
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So performance truly is the main, driving factor these days. I recently spoke with Williams team principal James Vowles, at the Dutch Grand Prix, and he made a point of saying that it is "hard to accept the short-term pain for long-term success" when you have to answer to a board of directors, as he does.
We talked at length about Sargeant's future and he maintained his stance that he will give the Floridian as much time as he possibly can to prove that he is worthy of that seat. The subtext of the conversation, though, was that there is a limit to how much time he has.
It would be incorrect to state that Sargeant's lack of points is not the issue – clearly, that is a problem, especially when team-mate Alex Albon is scoring with impressive regularity. But more worrying were signs of desperation on show at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Sargeant has racked up a large crash damage bill for Williams this season (Formula 1 via Getty Images)Sargeant smashed up his car right at the beginning of qualifying when pushing hard for the first time in that session. Crash damage has been a significant problem for the American this season and, as Mick Schumacher will tell you, that can be a significant factor when it comes to decision time for the teams.
The repair job led to Sargeant being given a 10-second time penalty before the race had even begun. That was not his fault as it was Williams who had broken the rules but, in his attempts to limit the damage, he soon crashed into Valtteri Bottas when he locked up into the hairpin, causing damage which ended up being terminal. He didn't finish the race.
It would be unfair to blame Sargeant for trying too hard. All year he has been facing questions over his future, the pressure mounting as each race weekend comes and goes without those first points. And he has dealt with all those uncomfortable questions with a mountain of professionalism and calmness, which is one of the reasons why I take no pleasure in my next sentence.
But Williams now have to seriously consider ending this experiment. A second season with Sargeant could prove damaging to their ambitions if he is still not getting the results. And it's not like there aren't other drivers out there waiting for their opportunity.
Schumacher is F1 experienced but not in the frame for Williams, talking instead with Alpine over a switch to the World Endurance Championship. Loaning Liam Lawson from Red Bull could be an option now that AlphaTauri have confirmed Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda for next year.
Felipe Drugovich remains the most likely candidate, should Williams choose to start afresh. Currently a reserve for Aston Martin, last year's F2 champion has not yet raced in F1 but caught Vowles' eye when driving in FP1 in Italy.
The reality is, Sargeant has six race weekends to save his F1 career. Whether or not he scores points in that time won't decide his future in the sport, but how he deals with the pressure of the fact that time is running out certainly will.
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