2024 will be an important year for Logan Sargeant who, after a first season of apprenticeship, will play his chances of continuing his Formula 1 adventure with Williams in this championship. The American driver was the last on the grid to have his contract renewed for 2024, with the agreement only being signed in December.
It is no mystery that Sargeant struggled during his rookie year, especially in the first part of the championship, having only a day and a half available during testing to adapt to the demands of a Formula 1 car. Race after race The American began to make visible progress, which then materialized with a Q3 in qualifying in Holland and his first point in his home race in Austin.
Looking back at his first world championship, the Williams representative had underlined how initially he had struggled to exploit all the potential of the car and the great aerodynamic load, especially in fast corners and braking, where the real leap compared to the Formula 2 single-seaters is felt However, Sargeant explained that he had also struggled physically, thus rethinking his training program ahead of the new season.
Logan Sargeant, Williams Racing
Photo by: Williams
“The break was a great opportunity for me to take a step back and look at myself mentally, emotionally and physically, where I need to improve,” Sargeant said on the sidelines of the Williams livery presentation at the Puma store from New York.
“I've learned that I need to manage myself a lot better. I let myself get drained during the season and I let that affect me off the track, which eventually showed up on the track as well. I wasn't physically in the position I should have been in.” be and I did everything I could to improve the situation.”
Weight has always been a very delicate issue for drivers, who tend to push themselves to the limits of their fitness to be as light as possible, despite a few years ago the FIA imposed a minimum mass of 80 kg to help taller drivers . Sargeant explained that he strengthened his muscles over the winter, but also that he gained five kilos, feeling much fitter than last year.
“For example, now I'm five kilos heavier than at the end of last year, I feel much healthier and more ready to go. I feel like a different man, I feel like physically I'm in the best shape I've ever been. And I think that the condition I'm in now and will continue to get to will simply help me feel more comfortable in the car and extract performance.”
Logan Sargeant, Williams FW45
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
According to the drivers, the changes introduced by Williams on the FW46 will also help. Although the single-seater has not yet made its debut on the track, which will only arrive on the sidelines of the first test session in Bahrain thanks to a filming day, the first sensations in the simulator tell of a different car to drive, which guarantees greater confidence. The engineers have in fact worked hard not only to increase the overall downforce, but also to improve some aspects of the vehicle's dynamics.
Having a softer, more versatile car, with a wider operating window, has been the number one priority for Williams and Albon believes the FW46 will make it easier for his teammate to find a good rhythm: “Logan will have the necessary experience for this year, I don't think it will be such a difficult learning curve for him. Personally I think the car will be a little easier to drive.”
“Our car was very particular. I spent two years perfecting a very strange driving style, which for someone coming to the car for the first time, without any previous experience in F1, is difficult. It was very easy to go into overdrive [oltre il limite] With the car. I think naturally the car goes towards him, as if he were a little less at risk and more usable. So I think we will see a Logan with a lot more experience and a car that should give more confidence, which in itself will bring performance.”
Team principal James Vowles also welcomed the progress made by Sargeant on a physical level, underlining that, after the renewal of his contract, the American has also made progress in terms of preparation.
Logan Sargeant, Williams Racing
Photo credit: Williams
“First of all I asked him to surprise the world in terms of his fitness, approach and performance. We made several changes with him during the winter period, his coach is different, his training programs are completely different. You can see that he is a much more confident person and carries it well,” Vowles explained. Yuki Tsunoda also changed athletic trainer last year and, according to the Japanese, this was also one of the reasons that led him to grow in 2023.
Over the past season, Sargeant often went beyond the limit in an attempt to extract the maximum from the car, which in some cases paid with accidents that weighed on the progress of the weekend. The mistake in Japan is significant from this point of view, because after performing well in the first free practice sessions, an error in qualifying then forced the mechanics to replace the chassis starting from the pit lane. Although the American understood the reasons that had led him to contact the barriers exiting the last corner, that accident had taken away a bit of confidence, breaking the weekend's rhythm.
“I asked him to approach the first days with the car with caution, as he did at the end of the year, to build and not rush things. This is the trust I placed in him. This is why he returned to the car. I need that he now doesn't go back to his old habits of trying to get too much out of himself and the car too quickly, but that he approaches things progressively.”
“We should have a car that is better suited to both drivers. Hopefully we have eliminated some of the negative aspects of last year, but also created a platform for him [Sargeant]which should be able to grow much faster than it did in 2023,” added Vowles. It's also important to keep in mind that this year Sargeant won't be facing familiar circuits like last season , having thus found the first useful references in view of the championship which will start in the next few weeks.
#Sargeant #feel #ready #physically #gained
