After the penalty received in the Chinese Formula 1 GP, combined with the lack of good results, Logan Sargeant has been questioned a lot in the media. But Williams boss James Vowles came to the American driver’s defense.
In an interview with the team’s YouTube channel, Vowles took responsibility for the incident that resulted in the penalty in Shanghai. “We should have realized what was happening,” he said.
According to Vowles, the complexity of the situation made it difficult for the pilot to perceive. “It would be very difficult for Logan to judge whether he was ahead or behind. The responsibility is ours, we failed.”
The team leader also highlighted the need to improve the analysis system: “We need to develop better automated tools to help us in these situations. It took us several slow motion replays to identify the error, something that was not possible with onboard videos.”
Despite the team’s vote of confidence, rumors about a possible driver change continue to surround Williams. Young Formula 2 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli would be the favorite to replace Sargeant, as Mercedes wants to train its junior driver before placing him at the German team itself.
However, Williams denies these speculations. “We have a promising pair of drivers and our focus is on the current season. We look to the future, but our main objective is success in 2024,” said the Williams boss.
It is worth mentioning that Antonelli is only 17 years old, not old enough to obtain the super license necessary to race in F1. The minimum age of 18 was implemented following Max Verstappen’s early debut in 2015.
With below-expected performances in the first five races of the current season, and after a very weak debut year in 2023, the pressure on Sargeant has increased considerably. It remains to be seen whether the driver will be able to reverse the situation and remain at Williams until at least the end of the 2024 season, as according to several reports, he could be replaced shortly after his ‘home’ GP, in Miami next weekend.
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