Vowles dismisses Sargeant theory: 'Simply not the case'

Wiliams Team Principal James Vowles has denied that Logan Sargeant must impress early on during the current Formula 1 season in order to secure his place on the grid.

Sargeant endured a challenging rookie campaign last year and had to wait until after the campaign ended to learn Williams' decision over his 2024 seat.

The American driver was retained for a second season alongside Alex Albon despite the obstacles he faced during his rookie year.

Sargeant was the only driver who was out-qualified by their teammate at every race weekend and also suffered a run of crashes in the second half of the season.

Vowles promises Sargeant time

While acknowledging the importance of showcasing improved performances, Vowles denied that Sargeant's seat will be in danger after just a handful of Grand Prix weekends if his results are not spectacular.

“It's important to him to get good results,” Vowles told media including RacingNews365. “The only thing I would say is it's not the early-on bit.

“What we have to see from him is progress as we continue on. Early on implies that there's a risk if he's not performing after three races that something will happen, and that's simply not the case.

“In the case of Logan, he knows that he finished last year starting to build on what he had as an experience base, and he's coming back here not as a rookie now, but someone that has years of experience behind him.

“He's got to build on that without mistakes, without error, and continually move forward.”