In just a month, Logan Sargeant has gone from being a podium contender in FIA Formula 3 to racing in FIA Formula 2, and now to cap it off, he was given his first chance to test a Formula 1 car in the post-season Young Drivers’ Test in Abu Dhabi.
The young American was testing with the Williams F1 Team, the outfit that brought him into their young driver programme earlier this year, and he completed ninety-two laps of the Yas Marina Circuit on Tuesday.
Sargeant admitted it was ‘incredible’ to get behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car for the first time, and he praised the team for giving him the car and the confidence to attack throughout his day around the Yas Marina Circuit.
“What an incredible first day in a Formula 1 car; it was everything I expected and more,” said Sargeant. “I want to start by saying a massive thank you to Williams, as that was the experience of a lifetime. The team did a great job preparing me for today and giving me the confidence to go out there, enjoy it and do the best I could.
“We got through the run plan and I really progressed a lot throughout the test. The first couple of runs felt unbelievable with the amount of grip and power the car has, but I got used to it fairly quickly and felt comfortable by the end of the day.
“It’s definitely a massive step up from the FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3 cars; the brake performance is much better and there’s a lot more downforce. The stopping power was like nothing I’ve felt before!
“The more you drive, the more you learn and the more pace you find, so I was happy with the lap times I was putting in by the time we finished today.”
“Logan did an excellent job today” – Dave Robson
Dave Robson, the Head of Vehicle Performance at Williams, felt Sargeant did an ‘excellent’ job on his first day in a Formula 1 car, and despite his lack of experience at this level, he did not make any noticeable mistakes.
With Williams not bringing a mule car to the test to run the eighteen-inch Pirelli tyres, Sargeant was the teams’ only representative in the test using the thirteen-inch tyres that were used in 2021, and Robson said he impressed everyone with his attitude and performance.
“Logan did an excellent job today,” said Robson. “This was his first time in a Formula 1 car, and he didn’t put a foot wrong. We worked him through a full programme, which introduced him to a range of situations and experiences that are typical of a normal F1 race weekend.
“He completed 92 laps using the Medium and Soft tyre compounds from last weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and he adapted to the physical and mental challenges of an intense F1 programme with ease and professionalism.
“Everyone at the track and all those back in Grove who have helped prepare Logan for today are very pleased, impressed and proud to see what he achieved.
“Since he became part of the Williams Team in October, he has been working towards today and he has made the most of this rare opportunity to drive a current F1 race car. His experience from today puts him a great position to work with us to develop the FW44 and will also add to his skillset ahead of his next competitive race drive.”
