THE MAIN CATALYST IN LOGAN SARGEANT SACK DECISION…AND IT WASN’T HIS DUTCH GP CRASH

Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok believes the writing was on the wall for Logan Sargeant the moment Williams announced Carlos Sainz for F1 2025.

Williams announced on Tuesday that Sargeant had been dropped from the team’s driver line-up with immediate effect and would be replaced by junior driver Franco Colapinto at this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.

Carlos Sainz was the catalyst, but Zandvoort crash the final straw

The decision brought an end to the American’s 36-race Formula 1 career, one that included more crashes and reports of his pending axing than it did points as there he managed just one with a P10 at last year’s United States Grand Prix.

However, failing to build on that despite team boss James Vowles keeping faith with him into F1 2024, Sargeant’s days on the grid are officially over.

But while the 23-year-old’s huge crash in Saturday’s practice for the Dutch Grand Prix, one that caused significant damage to the car and kept him out of qualifying, was the final straw for Williams, Chandhok reckons the catalyst happened almost a month earlier.

“I can’t say I’m massively surprised to be honest,” the Sky F1 pundit said of Sargeant’s axing. “Unfortunately for Logan, this story has been building as the season went on.

“As soon as Williams announced Carlos Sainz for next year there wasn’t really a future for Logan at the team. They’ve given him 18 months to deliver the results, and unfortunately, he hasn’t.

“I think really there’s a lot of focus on the accident he had in Holland over the weekend, but I think this is building up for some time, and maybe that was just the straw that broke the camel’s back for the team.”

More on Logan Sargeant’s F1 exit and his Williams replacement

👉Explained: Who is Franco Colapinto? How the Williams reserve driver earned his F1 superlicence

👉What next for Logan Sargeant? Three ways to resurrect his motorsport career after Williams axe

Franco Colapinto is part of Williams’ ‘medium’ term plan

Although it was initially suggested Liam Lawson or Mick Schumacher could partner Alex Albon for the final nine races of the season, Williams surprised many in the paddock when they announced junior driver Franco Colapinto.

The 21-year-old Argentinian will make his debut at Monza having spent the first half of the season competing in Formula 2 with MP Motorsport where he won one race.

“For Williams there’s two separate things going on,” Chandhok explained.

“Their short-term future is sorted with Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon running with the team for the next two seasons. But in the medium, those two drivers might move on.

“So I think they’ve taken the opportunity to use a very short-term for this season to promote Colapinto, just throw it into the deep end and see how he gets on.

“If nothing else, he goes back to doing F2 next year but at least he’s got some F1 miles under his belt.”

Colapinto will be the first Argentinian driver in F1 for 23 years.

“The country has a history in the sport,” Chandhok added. “Of course, you know, we used to have Grand Prix running out in Buenos Aires. You’ve got great names like Carlos Reutemann, 12-times a Grand Prix winner. So there is a history of the sport in Formula One.

“So it’s a big, big story, I think, for not just for him, but for his country as well. He’s got Italian heritage, so making his debut in Monza, I’m sure, is going to be pretty special for him.

“He’s come at it after a couple of seasons Formula Three, this is actually his first season in F2, he’s currently six in the point standing. He’s actually ahead of both Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman, who we expect to be in F1 next year, so I think as a rookie, he’s having a very solid season.”

2024-08-28T10:09:29Z dg43tfdfdgfd