Logan Sargeant sat down with media which included Pit Debrief at a virtual roundtable to discuss what he hopes to improve compared to last year and also the physical changes he has made. The American racer proudly stated “I feel like a different man to be honest” as he prepares to start the 2024 F1 season with Williams Racing.
Prior to the announcement of Logan Sargeant being retained for 2024 at Williams Racing, there were many who felt the American may be on his way out of the team as a result of the talent of Liam Lawson, Felipe Drugovich and Frederik Vesti all ready to take his seat. With that in mind, Sargeant was asked on launch day of Williams’ FW46 if the decision to retain his services had surprised him.
“No, I wouldn’t say surprised,” replied Sargeant. “I think we all saw, at least from within the team, the improvement that was being made. I think qualifying in Vegas was a bit of a, I guess you can call it a statement, but I think generally I was quite confident. I’ve had this support of the team for, it’s about 3 years now, since the end of 2021 and I really never felt like I lost that and we all wanna work together and do our best to make it work. I think we all just believe that if we put everything together and I get everything together from my side that you know we’re gonna be capable of doing the job that needs to get done.”
Even if the decision had not been a surprise, the journey to reach it was clearly a drawn out one and the experiences on a given race weekend were a lot to endure mentally and physically. Sargeant explained how the months prior to the 2024 season had provided a chance to reset.
“Off-season’s been great,” announced Sargeant to his virtual audience. “It’s been such a good opportunity for me to take a step back, reflect, look at myself from a mental, emotional and physical standpoint. Where I need to improve, where I needed to get better, and I feel like that off-season’s the first chance you really have to really do something about it, and it’s been great. I got to spend some time at home really refresh get myself into the best shape I’ve ever been in and feel more ready than ever to make the stuff that I know I can make.”
Williams’ racer explained exactly why he had needed the time to refresh and the impact that his rookie season had on him. Sargeant’s admission that he learned a lot throughout the season was not a shock but the remarks that followed certainly were and also served as a reminder of what sport at the highest level can do to a person.
“I learned that I need to manage myself much better. I let myself get very drained throughout the season I let that affect me off the track which ultimately brings it on to the track. I wasn’t physically in the place I need to be and I’ve done everything I can to get on top of that. I mean for example 5 kilos heavier than I was at the end of last year and I feel much more healthy and much more ready to go and from a driving point of view just having that reference every single track that I go to — what a Formula One car is capable of — I can now really start on a much better foot going into these weekends and I know much more of what I can do behind the scenes as well to extract performance from a driving standpoint,” Sargeant claimed.
Sargeant’s teammate, Alex Albon, was asked as to whether he had to modify or change his training routine in order to be at his best to prepare for this long season ahead.
“Unfortunately, Logan’s about 7 or 8 centimeters shorter than me so he has the luxury to put on the four or five kilos. If I did four or five kilos, I would be 4 or 5 kilos overweight. Unfortunately, my operating weight is already right on the limit so it is a bit more difficult for me to put on muscle mass without making myself slow in the car. So, I had a very good winter training I had four or five weeks having a good shift but then right now actually I’m the opposite. I need to start to lean out need to start to lose a couple of kilos before the season starts. We transition a little bit more towards the cardio, a little bit like a boxer, we kind of get the muscle in early and then once season starts you need to get back to fighting weight,” Albon outlined to the media.
Williams Racing Team Principal James Vowles also explained how excited he is for the battle to come: “As we look to build on the momentum from last season, we have a driver line-up in Alex and Logan that is capable of consistently fighting for points while helping lead our development for the future.”
F1 is regarded as the pinnacle of motorsport for a reason. The fight to remain within it is intense and Sargeant is still there to show his talent when many outside of the team had doubted he would be. However, Pit Debrief asked amidst all the pressure, is there an opportunity to enjoy this season a bit more, especially having made history last year by scoring that elusive point and being the first American driver to do so in F1 in 30 years.
“It’s always that balance, it’s always trying to enjoy it but at the same time it’s performance at the highest of levels and that ultimately takes everything out of you,” Sargeant stated in reply. “Of course, when things are going smooth it’s a lot easier. So, hopefully we get to start off on the right foot and really enjoy the start of the year and hopefully carry that through and get the momentum but it is a fine line — it’s a complex question — but I will do my best to enjoy it and I think if I can make this step that I’m ready to make I think it’ll just naturally become more enjoyable,” concluded Sargeant.
