Williams 'eye Mercedes prodigy to replace Logan Sargeant' and plan has Wolff's support
Logan Sargeant is ending his rookie season strong, but the Williams driver is facing a new threat to his seat for 2024.
Logan Sargeant’s seat with Williams is under threat once again with Williams team principal James Vowles keeping a close eye on the performance of Mercedes junior driver Frederik Vesti ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, according to reports.
According to a report from F1-Insider, Williams boss Vowles is hesitant to commit to a contract extension for the American rookie until after the season finale in Abu Dhabi this weekend.
This reluctance is largely down to the fact that Mercedes junior Vesti will be taking place in his second FP1 session of the season for Mercedes, as well as the post-season tyre test.
Vowles will make his decision between Sargeant and Vesti at some point next week after the two-day tyre test is complete, but until then he will be analysing the data as he prepares to make his decision.
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The report states that Mercedes team principal Wolff is keen on the agreement to move ahead. The Austrian had previously pushed hard for Vowles to replace Sargeant with Mick Schumacher to little avail.
This will be a momentous weekend for Vesti on multiple fronts. Alongside his F1 commitments with Mercedes, the 21-year-old is hoping to clinch the Formula 2 title, although he will need a near-flawless weekend to wrestle it back from points leader Theo Pourchaire.
For Sargeant, this pressure comes at a frustrating time. The American driver has endured a difficult rookie season but has delivered two of his strongest moments in the past month.
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The young Floridian benefitted from the disqualifications of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to claim his first-ever F1 point at the United States Grand Prix, ending the wait at the 18th time of asking.
This result seemed to galvanise Sargeant, who narrowly missed out on a second point in Brazil after finishing 11th before qualifying in seventh place for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
While Sargeant was unable to convert his immense qualifying showing into points for the team, neither was team-mate Alex Albon, and the feeling regarding his progression seemed positive. However, with Vesti now in the frame, he faces a nervous wait to discover the fate of his F1 future.