It could be understandable for Formula 1 drivers beginning their rookie seasons to feel slightly 'under-prepared', but in Logan Sargeant's case, the opposite is true. The Williams rookie is set to become the first full-time American F1 driver since Scott Speed in 2007, and had multiple run-outs in late 2022 in the FW44 to get used to Grand Prix machinery. However, long gone are the days of pounding around tracks doing private testing, so Sargeant's experience has been limited to official F1 sessions, such as the post-Abu Dhabi two-day test and various FP1 sessions. Despite this, the 22-year-old Floridian believes he is actually "over-prepared" as he is set to partner Alexander Albon for the 2023 campaign in the FW45, the livery of which has been unveiled.
Sargeant feels 'over-prepared'
"I've been doing everything I can to to get into the best position I can be going into the season," Sargeant explained to media, including RacingNews365.com. "You know, I almost feel to the point where I am a bit over prepared, [but] I'm excited to get after it in Bahrain and get going. I feel like it has been a long off-season. "You will never be completely prepared enough, but I feel like it's got to a point where I've done so much away from the track, it is now time to actually get out there and apply some of it. "My goal at the moment is to come in, learn as much as I can, be adaptable and ultimately get the most performance I can out of the car. "Once we do that, we can see where we are at and go from there. "I just come in wanting to maximise the car and help the team as much as I can in terms of feedback and pushing them forward. But I think between me and Alex, we should be covered."
'Never completely safe'
Sargeant is one of three rookies on the grid in 2023 with Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and Nyck de Vries (AlphaTauri) joining him, and the Florida native admits that he is not "completely safe" in F1. "You have to come in and perform at an extremely high level, which is to be expected, and that is why we are here, but I do have to be realistic," he explained. "I need to come into the year with the approach at the beginning to learn as much as possible, and simply take it from there. "I don't want to put too much expectation on it or not put too much on it, I'm just going to take it as it comes, and I'm sure I'll handle it."
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