Williams boss James Vowles has once again reiterated that there can be no guarantees that Logan Sargeant will complete the 2024 Formula 1 season with the team.
Sargeant’s time as a Williams F1 driver will come to an end once the campaign concludes amid the announcement that Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz will replace him in 2025.
The American has endured a challenging time in his sophomore campaign as he remains the sole non-Sauber driver not to have accrued a point in the first 14 rounds.
Sargeant’s prospects were hindered earlier this term as Williams being short on spare parts saw his car equipped with outdated components compared to Alex Albon.
But with Sargeant having since been on the same car specs as Albon, Vowles has outlined that he expects his outgoing driver to be a regular match to his team-mate.
“In terms of where he was, Silverstone, Budapest, he was where we need him to be in terms of growth pattern,” Vowles told media including Motorsport Week.
“That’s what I’m looking for. This weekend [Belgium], he’s off the pace. There’s no doubt about it. He’ll say the same thing to you.
“It’s hard to pinpoint why. He’s just found that the car’s been very unpredictable to him from lap to lap, fundamentally.
“The best I can put it to you is, he knows where he needs to be. And where that is, for complete transparency, he has to be matching Alex, pushing Alex along every time.
“And we’re not there yet. All of you know the statistics on qualifying, so it’s as simple as you put them in your head up there.
“But if I also showed you where he was across Budapest, Silverstone, prior to that, you can see there’s good progress.”
Meanwhile, Williams was behind a successful dispensation request to the FIA which would have permitted Andrea Kimi Antonelli to enter F1 prior to him turning 18.
When asked whether he could confirm that Sargeant would see out the season with Williams, Vowles responded: “I think what I’ve said before is this. Earn your place.
“In Silverstone and Budapest, he earned his place. This weekend, I need him to do more in the race weekend, but I’m not going to make a decision from one race to the next.
“What I don’t want to sit here and say is, ‘Logan absolutely has a place nailed for ever being in this situation’. Earn it. As I have to earn my job, as Alex has to earn his job.”
Vowles also dismissed a recent rumour that he and Sargeant are no longer on speaking terms, citing that it’s in his interests to have both the side’s drivers performing.
“So first, there are odd stories that appear. Logan and myself talk, I’m not going to say daily, but on a race weekend, definitely daily, and outside of that, several times a week.
“Because my job is to do the absolute best that I can for him. Because ultimately, if we’re scoring points, we need both drivers on the same for doing so.
“Second to that, I have a responsibility towards him. He is still going to be a professional racing driver in the future, and he’s still part of Williams in that regard.
“And we have an investment in him. We started it here, it will continue.”
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