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Sargeant seems finished at Williams, is this his replacement at Monza?
- Ludo van Denderen
Horrified faces in the Williams pit box. On the screens, the British racing team's mechanics saw Logan Sargeant's car completely destroyed. The American who, not for the first time this season, wrecked the car completely. No doubt pleased that the driver got out of the wreck unscathed, the mechanics probably also immediately thought of the huge mountain of work to rebuild the car.
On the pitwall, team boss James Vowles watched the footage with a sullen expression: Another sky-high cost and another dramatic result for Sargeant, must have gone through his mind. That he had rightly not renewed the American's contract after this season was perfectly understandable after yet another blowout. It was originally planned that Sargeant would at least finish the season before Carlos Sainz took his place. But after another debacle at Zandvoort, it seems the 23-year-old driver has had his day.
Vowles talks about Lawson at Red Bull
Coincidence or not, not long after qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix—which was thus finished without Sargeant—Vowles could be found at Red Bull Racing. The Briton discussed several topics with the Austrian racing stable's management, one of which was the option to hire Liam Lawson for the rest of the season. In that case, the New Zealander could be in Sargeant's car as early as next week at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza.
Williams is currently ninth in the constructors' championship with just four points. Alpine is one place higher, with 11 points, and is therefore in sight. On the other hand; although Stake F1 has yet to score any points this season, it is not inconceivable that the future Audi team could still overtake Williams. The ambitious British team cannot afford to finish last in the title race, so every point counts.
Sargeant cannot deliver for Williams
Logan Sargeant, meanwhile, has shown he is not a man for points, so it makes sense for Vowles to look for ways to increase his chances of winning points in the exciting final stages of the season. A driver change is then the obvious one, but there are not many alternatives. Looking at it that way, Lawson is a good option; someone who has driven five Grand Prix, even got into the points and has the potential to become a solid F1 driver. Moreover, the New Zealander is eager to drive races, even knowing that a contract at Williams for after this season is not in the cards.
Lawson could convince Red Bull management in the next nine Grands Prix that he is the right man to take a seat in one of the Visa Cash App RB cars in 2025 (or even at Red Bull Racing alongside Max Verstappen). So the knife cuts both ways here, as Red Bull can see over an extended period of time whether Lawson is indeed the man they are looking for.
Lawson would not be the only candidate to replace Sargeant. The now 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli - basically racing for Mercedes next season - is an option, as is Williams reserve Franco Colapinto. However, both drivers are inexperienced, and whether that makes them an immediate improvement over Sargeant remains to be seen.
This article has been written in collaboration with Matt Gretton
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