Williams has parted ways with the only American driver in the Formula 1 2024 season, Logan Sargeant. The 23-year-old wrecked his car in the practice session of the Dutch Grand Prix left him sidelined for the qualifying session and eventually finished 19th in the race.
Since his arrival last season, Sargeant has failed to impress at Williams. He finished 20th in the Drivers Championship last season with just 1 point and was unable to get on the board this season. The American failed to outqualify his teammate, Alexandar Albon and failed to reach a Q3 session this season.
Sargeant was set to leave at the end of 2024 with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz announced as his replacement, in July. But the premature end to his Williams journey means that there will be no American representative in Austin and Las Vegas this season.
BREAKING: Williams Racing have announced Logan Sargeant will be replaced for the remainder of the 2024 season by Franco Colapinto#F1 pic.twitter.com/6UOUhr37XU
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 27, 2024
To replace a driver mid-season is not a decision we have taken lightly, but we believe this gives Williams the best chance to compete for points over the remainder of the season,” team principal James Vowles said in a statement.
“We have just brought a large upgrade to the car and need to maximize every points-scoring opportunity in a remarkably tight midfield battle,” he added.
Who will replace Logan Sargeant at Williams for this season?
With Logan Sargeant’s departure confirmed, Williams has signed Franco Colapinto for the remainder of the 2024 Formula One season. The 21-year-old Argentine will partner Alex Albon in the upcoming Italian Grand Prix.
Colopinto is an academy product of Williams Racing and impressed during his stint in the F2, capturing a win in Imola earlier this season. He currently sits 6th in the F2 Drivers Championship but now turns his attention to racing in the F1
“Coming into F1 mid-season will be an enormous learning curve but I am up for the challenge, and I’m fully focused on working as hard as I can with Alex and the team to make it a success,” Colapinto said.
The Argentine will only have the remainder of this season to race in F1 as Carlos Sainz is set to partner Alex Albon from the start of next. However, a good set of results for Williams will make a strong case for him to secure an F1 seat in the coming years, and with the driver shuffle likely next season due to the underwhelming performances of Sergio Perez, Zhou Guanyu, Daniel Ricciardo, Colopinto will look to seize on the opportunity presented to him.
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Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
