Photo: Williams Racing
Logan Sargeant will make his Formula 1 weekend session debut on home turf, as he will drive for Williams in the first practice of October’s United States Grand Prix.
The 21-year-old American is a junior driver for Williams and is currently embarking on his rookie Formula 2 with Carlin, taking two feature race wins in a row and two poles last month to lie third in the standings with four rounds to go.
He joined Williams last October, then made his F1 test debut in the official post-season test at Yas Marina Circuit. His FP1 debut in Nicholas Latifi’s car will come at Texas’s Circuit of the Americas.
“I’m super excited to be given this opportunity to drive my first Free Practice in Austin,” said Sargeant. “To be given the chance at the US Grand Prix is something extremely special to me.
“A massive thank you to Williams for putting the trust and belief in me to do a good job. The goal for me will be to learn as much as possible in the new generation of cars.
“I’m looking forward to making the most of this experience and really enjoying it.”
This year F1 has introduced a new rule that requires teams to hand two free practice opportunities through the season to drivers with less than three grand prix starts to their name. Earlier this year, Williams ran Formula E champion Nyck de Vries in Spanish Grand Prix practice.
Williams’ sporting director Sven Smeets said: “Logan has demonstrated a great level of ability and maturity so far this season through his accomplishments both on and off the track.
“He’s delivered race-winning performances in F2 matched by his hard work during simulator sessions. It only felt right to reward these achievements with the opportunity for him to take part in a free practice session at Austin.
“We’re looking forward to seeing him get behind the wheel of the FW44 and how his performance and feedback help the team’s preparations for the race in Austin.