Today's Edition
Kuumar Shyam (Abu Dhabi)
Thursday saw almost every Formula One team this season retaining their drivers for 2024 with the marques' caravan rolling into UAE capital for the season-ending Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Except for one driver: Williams Racing's secondary driver Logan Sargeant.
The American, with senior teammate Alexander Albon, looked a relaxed picture at the team's hotel base at Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island resort, when the pair talked to Aletihad for an exclusive chat about Williams' fortunes and takeway plans from the Yas Marina Circuit. "It is a nice place [the hotel] to come back and relax, especially coming from a huge trip [from Las Vegas]. This gives us a nice home base feeling," Sargeant said with Albon in agreement.
He would know as Sargeant cut his teeth in Abu Dhabi at the UAE F4 Championship in 2016 before advancing to the pinnacle of motorsport. The 22-year-old is one race away from ending his first F1 season after being a junior driver for Williams in Formula 2.
He has scored his first F1 point in Austin by default, getting promoted to 10th after the disqualification of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, and qualified a career-best seventh at last weekend's race in Las Vegas. Yet, Sargeant conceded there is an air of uncertainty. "Honestly, I don't know. I am taking it race by race. And I feel it is getting much better over [pause] how many rounds."
The familiarity with Abu Dhabi should come handy, too, he hoped. "I started racing here in F4. I've been here in F3, F2. I did my first F1 test here, so I've done so much driving around Abu Dhabi, and I feel like it's one of the tracks that most of drivers know extremely well because we do so much testing here. But, yes, I do enjoy the track a lot. I'm excited to race here for the first time in F1, after a major part of my development career on this track."
While Max Verstappen sealed the title race long back, Williams are languishing with just 28 points with Alpine Tauri on 120 points above them in the constructors' standings. Albon, as the senior statesman among the drivers, said they will go all out and leave the finetuning of the FW45 car to the season break.
Logan returns to Yas Marina a year on from gaining his Super Licence 💙 pic.twitter.com/GyUiEwTJHz
— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) November 23, 2023
Referring to the current situation and the fact that Williams ended in 10th place last season, Albon said: "There's nothing in front of us and there's nothing to gain but a lot to lose. So we have to focus on the cars behind me, try to consolidate P7 [position] in the championship. I think, coming from a few years where it's been a little bit more difficult, it would mean a lot to finish P7. The focus is on that."
Sargeant added: "The past few races, other teams are bringing more and more upgrades in the latter half of the season. So we are in a bit of survival mode, like Alex said, but it's been a positive season for the team with plenty of good and bad times both."
On runaway leaders Red Bull Racing's dominance expected to continue in 2024, Albon said: "I don't think Red Bull, unfortunately, is in our eyesight. But, we'll focus on ourselves. I think our goal is to look at where alpine is and try to make a bigger jump than then we have done. If we can come to a couple of races maybe and fight for top-fives, that would be a great achievement for us. Of course, we want to be winning races and finishing on podiums, but it's not realistic. We are too far behind this year to to catch up in one or two years."
Williams got a fillip when former Mercedes strategy director James Vowles joined them at the start of the season. His appointment as team principal in one of the rare changes in the position that the marque has done in a long history of racing where Alain Prost drove into retirement. Williams runs on Mercedes engine units. While it reflects intent, Albon kept a realistic outlook in his review for 2023.
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"My first year at Williams was really awesome. Vowles and Williams … how they see the team and the areas to improve are very similar. James has some knowledge from his time at Mercedes. So that that brings a lot of information. He knows what it takes to win. And he's now using that experience to focus and shape the team.
"Already you can see the little things, details. He's been very much top of the strategy. The tires, the engine… he's used his knowledge from Mercedes to help us straight away. For next year, we will surely see more of his touch in the development of the car."
Back to the task at hand and knowledge of the Yas Marina circuit in comparison to the days he raced, Sargeant said about changes to the track which were made in 2021: "I feel like it's helped a little bit to have tight racing, especially going on to the route after Turn 5. I think Turn 5 has helped make racing easier into Turn 6 in particular. But I think the second sector hasn't changed massively."
Albon agreed. "The style of the corners that were designed before didn't made it very difficult to stay close. They've made them much faster, much easier to follow. I have to say they've done a very good job."
If the driver duo remain in cohesion on the track come Sunday, a good job might well keep them on track in the development of Williams.
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