Speaking during a press conference in Bahrain, Logan Sargeant has said he is confident heading into his first weekend as a Formula 1 race driver with Williams. The young American driver also praised the team for maximising the limited three days of testing.
Williams’ rookie Logan Sargeant enjoyed his first outing in the FW45 at testing in Bahrain last weekend ahead of his race debut at the same track this weekend. The American driver who finished last year’s Formula 2 championship in 4th place, says he enjoyed testing and is confident ahead of his debut this weekend.
“[I’m] ready to get after it next weekend.”
Sargeant was asked how he enjoyed his first Formula 1 experience as a race driver and replied enthusiastically, clearly showing his excitement ahead of the opening race of the season.
“Loving it!” Sargeant said of his F1 experience thus far. “The last two days have been awesome and I feel like we’ve maximised our mileage. Obviously a lot of laps yesterday, but yeah I’m absolutely loving it to this point and ready to get after it next weekend.”
“I’ve left no stone unturned…”
Sargeant was also quizzed on his mammoth effort of three race distances on Friday during the test. Sargeant says his work over the winter break prepared him well for the physicality of Formula 1 driver, although he admits he was a “little bit sore” following his Friday outing.
“Just your natural bruises and a little bit sore,” he said. “To be honest I feel like the work I put in in the off season has put me in a great place physically. Even the amount we’ve done on the sim.
“I feel like I’ve expanded mentally from the end of last year. I feel like I’ve left no stone unturned and I’m in a great place heading into the race.”
“We’re still chasing things…”
Following on from his experience in the car, Sargeant was asked how much progress he believes he’s made in getting to grips with driving Formula 1 machinery. He remained confident although admitting there is always more work to be done.
“I think it’s been as good as it could have been,” he said. “We’ve had a very in-depth and strict test program. We’ve maximised our time on track, which is absolutely vital, so credit to the team for that. We’ve just been moving in the right direction the entire time.
“We’re still chasing things, as always. It’s never perfect, but I’m happy with the base that we’ve set and I’m confident heading into next week.”
“In general the car is just better.”
He then went on to discuss the improvements the team has made over last year’s challenger, which Sargeant drove on several occasions during free practice. He claims the car has improved in general over the FW44 from last season.
“I think in general the car is just better,” he claims. “In terms of the characteristics of it. Some of the limitations are just less obvious. I think just relatively, general balance feels better.”
Lastly, with Formula 1 visiting three separate North American cities during the season, Sergeant was asked how it feels to have not only one, but three home races. The American native showed his excitement to race on home soil and have the opportunity to share his passion with friends and family.
“I think it makes me pretty lucky that’s for sure,” he stated. “I think it’s a great opportunity to have family and friends at the race, to be able to feel that home energy and home atmosphere. I’ve never raced at home so that’s gonna be a pretty cool opportunity. I want to make them three of my best.”
