Sitting in the Rainbow Room in early February, Logan Sargent looked me in the eye and told me what a successful 2024 Formula 1 season would look like to him. “It’s always one of the hardest questions to ask at the start of the year because you don’t know where you are as a team, so I’m going to leave that unsaid, because we’ll ultimately find out in Bahrain,” Sargent told me, and the entire assembled media, that day in February.
“But personally, it’s pretty simple – I want to take big steps forward on the personal side and perform consistently throughout the season at the level that I know I can,” Sargent continued.
“And if I do it, it will be a huge success.”
Hearing Sargent and Williams team principal James Vowles talk about their performance this season suggests it has been a successful year by those standards. Sargent, a second-year driver, has been more consistent this year, qualifying better than last year’s runner-up in the Drivers’ Championship, Sergio Pérez, for the second year in a row.
At the Miami Grand Prix, Sargent said that his week behind the wheel was the most comfortable he’d felt in an F1 car. “And then jumping into FP1 this weekend was the most comfortable I’ve felt this year and I just felt like I got through it straight away,” Sargent told media. SB Nationin Miami. “Looking back since Australia, I feel like I’ve gotten pretty much everything I need from Japan and things have gone relatively smoothly.
“Obviously I was disappointed in China but I feel like I did a good job here again today. Now I just need to aim for that last tenth but just enjoy it and continue to do my best at home.”
But while Sargent had made progress, it wasn’t enough.
Now Williams is going in a different direction.
The team announced on Monday that it had agreed terms with Carlos Sainz Jr. to stay with them from next season. A new multi-year deal with Alexander Albon has already been announced, meaning Sargent is on the outside looking in at Williams.
And maybe F1 as a whole.
What’s next for the American driver?
Another F1 seat?
Could Sargent somehow earn a spot on another team?
That may seem unlikely given how things ended up at Williams, but it’s theoretically possible. As mentioned above, Sargent has made progress this season, and while it may not have been enough to secure him a seat at Williams, there are still teams with openings in 2025.
These teams include Alpine, Haas and Sauber, which is due to become Audi’s works operation in 2026.
Alpine has already announced that Esteban Ocon will leave the team at the end of 2024, and current reports suggest the team wants to keep Pierre Gasly on board for 2025, possibly partnering the team’s current reserve driver, Jack Doohan. Mick Schumacher, who races for Alpine in the World Endurance Championship, is also a candidate, along with other current drivers who are out of contract.
As for Haas, there is at least one opening as Nico Hulkenberg is moving to Sauber next season, and it is expected that the team will keep current reserve driver and Ferrari super-sub Ollie Bearman in one seat next year to pair with a veteran driver. Will it be Kevin Magnussen? Ocon? Sargent?
Meanwhile, with Hulkenberg already in the team’s seat, the team could consider retaining one of its two current drivers – Valtteri Bottas or Zhou Guanyu – but Sargent could also be under consideration.
But this seems like the least likely path for Sargent at this point.
A move to IndyCar?
Could Sargent follow in the footsteps of other drivers and make a name for himself in IndyCar?
The IndyCar field is set to expand to 29 Italian teams next season, the Italian team announced. Prema Racing plans to enter two full cars into the series in 2025While many of the seats next season are set, there may be a few open spots for Sargent, and a move to IndyCar could be a big opportunity for the German, who finished third in the F3 championship with Prema Racing in 2020.
Could Prema make a big move by adding an American driver to their line-up as they join the IndyCar grid?
The combination seems logical and has been gaining support over the past week. Reports emerge Sargent has already signed a contract with Prema and is set to compete in IndyCar next season.
Could Sargent move to the WEC?
A move to IndyCar could be an option for Sargent – a likely path given recent reports and the path that many former F1 drivers have taken – but he could also follow a similar path to drivers such as Nyck de Vries and Mick Schumacher recently and move to the World Endurance Championship.
After losing his seat at AlphaTauri (now Visa Cash App RB F1 Team), de Vries returned to the WEC world this season, driving for Toyota Gazoo Racing, who finished second at last weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Meanwhile, Schumacher has joined Alpine’s WEC entry in addition to his role as Mercedes’ reserve driver, and despite a disappointing weekend at Le Mans, his name remains high on the list of favourites to replace Ocon at Alpine next season.
Measuring your fan’s heart rate
Thanks to the growing fan community of “F1 Threads,” this week I did a bit more… let’s just say “poll.” I polled Sargent on his options for 2025. The four options? Stay in F1, move to IndyCar, move to WEC, and “other,” and respondents were invited to submit their suggestions.
And the move to IndyCar was an overwhelming response.
Of the 191 responses, 81 percent, or 155 voters, chose IndyCar as Sargent’s next destination.
If you’re reading this article on Apple News, the Threads results are: View here.
Back in February in New York City, James Vowles said he thought Sargent would have more confidence this season, and again, that was mostly true, but not enough to keep him at Williams.
But that confidence is sure to serve him well wherever he goes next.
