Who is racer Logan Sargeant? Explaining the American’s background

Formula One’s popularity in the US has never been higher.

The Athletic has written a number of pieces on how Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” — the mega-hit show which chronicles F1 — has turbo-charged interest in the sport in North America. And just this May, coverage of the Miami Grand Prix averaged 2.6 million viewers, marking the largest US audience ever for a live F1 telecast.

Despite Americans’ growing appetite for the sport, however, a US-born driver hasn’t competed in an F1 race since Alexander Rossi in 2015. One up-and-comer who’s trying to break that seven-year drought is Logan Sargeant.

Here’s what you need to know about the rising motorsports star:

Who is Sargeant?

He’s a 21-year-old from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. hey now lives in the heart of London and fills his days by going to the gym and working on the simulator at Williams and Carlin (which fields his F2 car).

He decided to move to Europe because the F1 ladder system would give him the best opportunity at being prepared — he could race on the same Pirelli tires, familiarize himself with the same circuits F1 uses and get accustomed to a similar lifestyle.

He said, life overseas is about trying not to get bored and “dealing with the rain.” He misses his family, friends and the Florida beaches — but views this period of his life as a sacrifice to see if he can achieve his F1 dream.

Who does he race for?

Williams Racing Academy based out of Grove, United Kingdomwhich he joined in 2021. The academy features reigning W Series champion Jamie Chadwick, Ollie Gray, and GB3 champion Zak O’Sullivan.

What’s his experience?

Hey most recently became the first American to win a Formula Two race when he scored a victory at Silverstone (IndyCar’s Alexander Rossi won a 2013 race in the series when it was known as GP2).

Prior to arriving with Williams, he competed in his third year of the FIA ​​Formula 3 championship, placing seventh in the 2021 Drivers’ Championship with four podiums. He also won at Russia’s Sochi Autodrom. During his second year of FIA Formula 3, he placed third and took six podiums. He won at Spa-Francorchamps and barely missed out on the 2020 championship title.

Does Sargeant have ties to NASCAR?

Sargeant’s older brother Dalton ran 22 races in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series between 2015 and 2018. Dalton also won four ARCA races and earned ARCA Racing Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2016. Logan told The Athletic, he found that following the best competition from his youth karting days steered him toward the open-wheel route.

“We were just having fun and we wanted to keep racing,” Logan said. “I don’t think we were really too worried about the future when we were at that age. It just keeps stacking up and as you keep going, it gets more serious and the competition grows. It all sorts of falls in line.”

What’s his F1 future?

Sargeant inherited the Austrian Feature Race win on Sunday after penalties to Richard Verschoor and Jehan Daruvala. He now sits in second place in the standings for a series known as a launch pad to F1.

“I don’t mind if I’m the first or second or whatever, as long as I make it there,” Sargeant had said in Miami when the topic of American F1 drivers was broached. “That’s all that matters. And obviously being in Formula Two now, the path is there. It comes down to performance.”

IndyCar’s Colton Herta is the driver most mentioned as being the next American in Formula One. The 22-year-old, who became the youngest IndyCar Series winner in 2019, will test a McLaren F1 car at Portimao this week.