When Williams launched the FW46, their challenger for the 2024 Formula 1 season, Logan Sargeant made it clear what was expected of him in his second season in the sport.
Consistency.
“I want to perform consistently over the course of a season at the level I know I can perform at,” Sargeant told me and other media members in New York City earlier this month. “And if I do that, that’ll be a big success.”
After his first 138 laps of the 2024 season, how does Sargeant feel?
Largely positive.
“We still had a couple of issues throughout the day but the red flag definitely helped with the extended session. It was generally a positive day; we made good headway in the right direction and know where we’re heading,” said Sargeant in the media report after the second day of pre-season testing, which saw him behind the wheel for both the morning and the afternoon session. “There are lots of positives despite there being some things for us to fix, but I’m looking forward to getting back into the rhythm as I started to feel more comfortable throughout the day.”
After his session on Wednesday was cut short after just 21 laps due to a driveshaft issue, Sargeant put in a whopping 117 laps as he was tapped for both practice sessions by Williams. Only Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Pérez finished more laps than the second-year driver.
However, there are some issues that the team needs to address, and Sargeant admits to still “fighting” the car a little bit.
“I’m fighting the car a little more than I’d like but those things will come together soon. It’s still a great day of experience ahead of next weekend,” added Sargeant. “Testing went by quickly and I definitely would’ve liked another day but it will be great to see Alex in the car tomorrow and for us to keep testing the car.”
Dave Robson, the team’s Head of Vehicle Performance, praised Sargeant’s effort and noted that the driver put in a full race simulation during the day.
“We completed over 100 laps today, including a full race simulation. For most of the day the car behaved well, and we were able to make good progress. We did experience a couple of issues which meant that we finished each session a little earlier than intended. However, both issues were minor and are now understood so we will resolve them tonight,” noted Robson.
Sargeant’s teammate, Alexander Albon, will close out pre-season testing for Williams on Friday.
“ogan’s pre-season testing is now complete. He did a good job today and now hands the car over to Alex for the final day of testing before the race season starts next week. We still have a lot of work that we want to do but if we can have another productive day tomorrow then we’ll be in a good position ahead of FP1 on Thursday,” added Robson.
Sargeant’s return to the grid for the 2024 season was viewed by many as a surprise. He notched a single point during his rookie campaign, leading many to believe that Williams would go in a different direction for their driver lineup this year. However Team Principal James Vowles, who has stressed the long-term approach since taking over at Williams last year, brought Sargeant back for a second season.
Early returns are largely positive, but the next time Sargeant is behind the wheel of the FW46, it will be in FP1 ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix. What to watch for then? Whether Sargeant not only maintains the confidence he has shown in the run-up to the 2024 season, but whether he eases into each race weekend, having learned what it takes to finish a weekend — and a season — in F1.
We will get our first look at that in a few short days.
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