Williams F1 boss Jost Capito announced in Austin on Saturday that Formula 2 driver Sargeant will get a racing seat for 2023 as long as he achieves the required FIA superlicence points.
Sargeant currently has 28 points to his name but could get as many as 30 with two flawless practice outings for Williams in Mexico and Abu Dhabi leaving him in need of a top-six finish at the F2 classification to obtain the superlicence. He is currently third in the standings.
But Williams has made no firm decision on who will get the second seat alongside Alex Albon for 2023 if Sargeant is unable to secure the required points.
Asked by Autosport if there was a backup plan in place, Capito replied: “Yeah, but not concrete, no name.
“There will be drivers who won’t get a contract. There are always very good drivers, and they have the superlicense points on that, so that’s fine.
Williams is known to have explored a number of options to replace outgoing driver Nicholas Latifi for next year. The team expected to sign Oscar Piastri on loan from Alpine, only for the contract saga to culminate in the Australian joining McLaren.
Nyck de Vries was another driver on the radar after his impressive appearance for Albon at Monza, but was snapped up by AlphaTauri to replace Pierre Gasly heading to the Alps.
Logan Sargeant, Williams Racing
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Capito said teams “have to play politics” when negotiating the driver market, but added that Sargeant’s performance in F2 since Silverstone had convinced the team he was ready for the seat.
Sargeant’s superlicence bid is aided by his training outings for Williams, while he could also be in line for a few bonus points depending on his penalty record in previous years in F2 and F3.
The F2 standings remain tight, with Sargeant only 18 points clear of eighth place and 39 still on the table in Abu Dhabi.
Sargeant said he would “let Williams figure out” what points he needed and was “riding as fast as he could at all times.”
Capito explained that the extra practice sessions for Sargeant were meant to “make the risk as minimal as possible” in the superlicence bid, as well as help him prepare for next year.
“We want to prepare Logan as well as possible for next season,” Capito said. “That means he needs to maximize his time in the car this year, which is why we gave him three FP1s.
“It gives him extra superlicense points. They are sure not to hurt. And then he will also test young drivers after Abu Dhabi.
“It’s part of the preparation now to put Logan in the best possible position for the start of next season.”
