With only one spot on the 2024 grid yet to be confirmed, will Logan Sargeant remain at Williams or could Liam Lawson earn a permanent Formula 1 seat?
Bernie Collins and Anthony Davidson joined Matt Baker on the latest edition of the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, which you can listen to in full in the player below, to debate that topic after an action-packed double header concluded in Japan.
A challenging rookie season for Sargeant continue at Suzuka as he dramatically crashed out in qualifying before retiring from the race following a collision with Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas.
In contrast, Lawson has been hugely impressive while deputising for the injured Daniel Ricciardo for the last four races, and has potentially jumped to the top of candidates to potentially replace Sargeant.
Why is Sargeant’s future in doubt?
“I think it’s so hard to predict what’s going on in the background of a team mainly because although we see incidents on track, we see the pace, we hear his driver comms, we are not seeing how he’s performing in the debriefs, what he’s bringing to the team in terms of development, how he’s interacting with everyone, so maybe the team is really working together as a fit,” Collins said.
“But I think a few things were telling this weekend in terms of, it came to light that because there’s been so many accidents that car isn’t at the full spec. And then there was straight away another accident after that.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Logan Sargeant crashes his Williams during Q1 of the Japanese GP causing an emotional response in the garage
“So I think there’s only so much time that a team can sustain that… that will eventually grind the team, grind the management.
“The mechanics work so hard, and it’s hard to keep motivation up if every weekend you’re fixing a car, putting it back together, running it with bits. So I think those are the things that are probably going to stand against him more than the out and out pace.
“The inability to run a car at your preferred spec is very detrimental because you’re doing half the learning. You’re doing half the learning on your upgrades. You’re doing half the learning on any development item that you do.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Logan Sargeant sends Valtteri Bottas off track at Suzuka after locking up
“Ideally, what you want is you want two drivers that are very equal, that in FP2 you can run one in the medium and one in the hard and you can take the learning from both.
“So that’s your ultimate aim is to have two really well matched drivers. And then beyond that, you need a driver that’s fit to keep it on the tarmac.”
‘Lawson an amazing option’
“I think it’s not just me saying this, but everybody in the paddock that I’ve spoken to about it, Liam Lawson – what a cracking job he’s done,” Davidson said.
“I think he would be an amazing option for Williams and one that both teams can benefit from. In the short term Williams can benefit from having, clearly, a known quantity that will jump in and do a good job.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Sporting hero? Favourite food? Dream teammate? Liam Lawson answers all in this quickfire quiz with Rachel Brookes
“He’s done enough races now in enough conditions to give people confidence and that’s what a lot of the time it’s down to in a team. It’s not just one person making that decision who to put in a car, it’s lots of people have to be brave enough in many ways to not be proved wrong if it does go wrong. And it’s like a board decision who they’re gonna go for.
“You can see the guy keeps his nose clean, he’s not a crasher, he’s fast when he needs to be, he’s a methodical worker, he’s a good over-taker, he’s a team player, and he ticks a lot of boxes.
“He’s young, and he’s got time to continue to learn out of the spotlight. Continuing to learn in a team like Williams, alongside a great driver like Alex Albon, could be a fantastic relationship and one that works well for Red Bull as well going forwards because they have the luxury of too many drivers around for the amount of seats that they have available.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Making his debut for Alpha Tauri, Liam Lawson battles with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at the Dutch GP
“For me that makes sense. He’s the most logical one that I would want to put in my second seat if I was running a team. And you’d put a nice deal together with Red Bull.
“The only negative for Williams is that you would lose that commodity. You’re training somebody up to then lose them later on down the line. But in the short term you could get a good healthy amount of points on the table and walk away from a season with somebody that’s not damaging the car all the time.”
Who are the other contenders?
“So then if it’s not him you have to look elsewhere. Felipe Drugovich has been there with Aston Martin this year as a reserve driver, almost got his chance in Bahrain from another hand or wrist injury from Stroll, who just about made it back in time, but he was prepared and ready to jump in.
“He did a pretty decent job from what I could see at the test in Bahrain but again limited information, I would be less confident in putting him in the car than Lawson because I haven’t seen enough of his performances in different scenarios, I haven’t seen him in qualifying in Formula 1, I haven’t seen him start a race.
Felipe Drugovich has featured in practice for Aston Martin this season
“All I’ve seen is some lap time comparisons to Alonso at different parts of the day because they weren’t out there together because it’s just the one car so it really starts to limit your data points on that driver.
“And then you’ve got Theo Pourchaire, who is leading currently the F2 championship. He’ll be looking for a seat next year as well.
“The thing Logan Sargent proves though, is that he was comparable to Liam Lawson in F2. He had the speed and he had consistency there and he had good race results to almost match those guys or did match those guys. But yet for whatever reason in Formula 1, it’s not working out.
“It can be such a pressure cooker environment in Formula 1 for some drivers that they struggle to drive freely enough. You drive too tense because you’re not confident enough. Because such a scary environment is such that, they call it the Piranha Club, don’t they? For good reason, because if you don’t perform, you’re going to get gobbled up by everyone. And that can intimidate you.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Logan Sargeant reaches Q3 for the first time but crashes straight out on his first fast lap in his Williams
“I feel like Logan isn’t driving the way I’ve seen him drive before in other categories. He’s not driving the way that he knows he can drive, and these mistakes keep coming about because maybe he’s trying to do things without driving in a free way.
“You need to be relaxed when you drive these cars. You need to let it flow, and if you’re too tense and digital in your movements because you’re inherently nervous all the time and driving with a feeling like, ‘do I really belong here?’ It’s never going to work out for you.
“So it’s not working out for Logan at the moment. He’s going to have to ask himself questions. The team are clearly going to be asking questions and what do you do? It’s not an easy decision.”
Don’t miss an episode of the Sky Sports F1 Podcast. Subscribe now on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Spreaker
Will Max Verstappen wrap up his third world championship at the first attempt at the Qatar GP? Watch every session of the Sprint weekend live on Sky Sports F1 from October 6-8. Stream F1 on Sky Sports with NOW. Cancel anytime