Williams boss seals Logan Sargeant's fate and shares Schumacher and Palou stance
Williams boss James Vowles insisted there are no active conversations with other Formula 1 drivers as he reaffirmed his commitment to Logan Sargeant's development.
The American rookie has come under fire from some quarters in recent weeks and months. Along with Nyck de Vries, he was the only driver from the start of the season who has yet to score a single point.
So when De Vries was axed last month by AlphaTauri, there was a greater spotlight on Sargeant. Team principal Vowles understands that will always happen when a driver has not scored a point – but that is not how he is measuring the 22-year-old this season.
What he wants to see from Sargeant, who was promoted to F1 a year earlier than planned, is the right attitude and constant progress. And he told Mirror Sport at Zandvoort that, as long as he continues to see that from the Floridian, then he will remain committed to his development.
Vowles said: "My plan A is investing in Logan and making sure we get the absolute most out of him. We keep forgetting that these guys and girls are in their young 20s. That's it. They're composed, educated individuals who know they are going to have to deliver.
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"In Logan's case, he knows this is a meritocracy and he knows he needs to perform. But there's a no-blame culture. If you take someone and say, 'You're not doing a good enough job', what happens? It doesn't particularly help the situation. What he needs to know is that he has tremendous potential in him and he knows that. He knows that we tried to accelerate his journey into the sport one year too early, but it was the right decision at the time.
"What he needs now is an environment where he's able to take all that learning and use it to good effect, not worry about issues or mistakes but learning to build on them week in, week out. And that's the environment we're creating around him at the moment. It will take time.
Williams chief James Vowles says he is committed to Sargeant's development (PA)"This is by far the hardest year for rookies by a long way. We don't have 'normal race weekends' anymore... Something is always changing so dynamically, you don't know what's going on. But he's dealing with it with maturity and he knows that I have his back and we're here to support him. Let's find the journey that pushes him up the grid because that's what I want for him as well."
Naturally, the rumour mill has been churning out names of potential replacements. The driver market has been remarkably inactive this year – there is a strong chance the current crop of 20 drivers will remain in their seats for 2024 – so the prospect of a left-field move is all the more enticing right now.
In Williams' case, the man most regularly linked with Sargeant's current seat is Mick Schumacher. The German is desperate to return to the F1 grid as he spends this season as a reserve for Mercedes and, given Williams' strong ties and Vowles' own links to the Silver Arrows, those rumours come as little surprise.
A new name emerged during the summer break. A report from The Race claimed conversations had taken place "at some level" between Williams and IndyCar driver Alex Palou's management. The Spaniard is keen on a switch to F1 but is currently locked in a legal battle with McLaren after declaring he has no intention of honouring his contracts with the carmaker.
Mirror Sport posed both those names to Vowles, who laughed at the mention of the link to Palou before making it clear that, although he is regularly in contact with other drivers across the F1 paddock and beyond, there are currently no discussions with any of them regarding a possible 2024 race seat with his team.
He said: "You will always have other options come towards you, that's just the nature of the sport. It would be foolish to hang up the phone immediately. It's fair to say I have contact with near enough every drivers on the grid, but it doesn't mean there are any active conversations. There are no conversations for the seat that is here – that's the best way I can summarize it.
"One of the things I've always done, whether that was at Mercedes or here, is I have a good relationship with pretty much most drivers here and about four in IndyCar, just because they're really good peddlers and deserve a chance one day. But our focus is on Alex [Albon] and Logan and making sure that we absolutely create an environment to win."
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