Williams driver Logan Sargeant is adamant that the gap in performance between Formula 2 and F1 cars is too sizeable.
The 23-year-old finished fourth during his sole season of F2 in 2022 and is on the verge of beginning his second season at the highest level of motorsport with Williams.
Sargeant delved into his step up from the junior series into Formula 1 when speaking to Motorsport.com: “It’s helped 100%. I think F2 is a great series with great drivers, but the gap between the cars is probably a bit too big for what it should be.
“There are just so many more fine details in F1, and there’s just so many more things that add into performance than just getting in the car and driving like you do in F2.”
The FIA Formula 2 championship will introduce a new car in 2024, aimed at being more in line with F1’s current generation of ground-effect cars.
Modern F1 cars operate on a much higher level of complexity and performance than any other machine. The steering wheel features more switches and buttons than in F2, adding an extra layer of difficulty to making the step up to the pinnacle of motorsport.
Sargeant said: “There are so many things that you can do from a driving aspect that you can’t do enough to in an F2 car.”
“There’s just so many more things that add to performance than just getting in the car and driving like you do in F2.
“I feel like that’s the bit you miss. In F2, you just get in and drive, whereas in F1, so many things need to come together before you’ll be quick. That’s a thing F2 misses for sure. And then yeah, the cars, just in my opinion, are not quite quick enough.”
The American floundered at times during his rookie season, making critical mistakes during qualifying in Saudi Arabia and the race in Australia.
Photo credits: Williams Racing
Sargeant also failed to match the ultimate speed of his teammate Alex Albon in 2023, losing the qualifying head-to-head 22-0.
The Williams driver explained that maximising an entire weekend was the most difficult part of his rookie F1 season.
“I think the biggest challenge is just putting it together every single weekend,” he said. “Throughout an F1 weekend, there are so many variables and so many operational things to get right.“
“It’s just really hard to piece it together perfectly throughout an entire weekend. And I think that’s the biggest thing. But experience helps just sort of naturally bring that together. That’s the thing that’s definitely held me back at times and something I’m still trying to get on top of.”
The American’s second F1 season begins on the 2nd of March at the Bahrain International Circuit.
