Sargeant sure Williams have faith in him despite being benched · F1 · RaceFans

Logan Sargeant says he is sure Williams are confidence in his ability despite the team leaving him without a drive in Australia.

Alexander Albon’s crash on Friday in Melbourne left Williams facing a dilemma as his car couldn’t be repaired in time and no spare was available. They therefore took the unusual decision to withdraw Sargeant from the event and give his car to his team mate, believing Albon offered their best chance to score points. He finished 11th.

Sargeant, who is in his second season as an F1 driver, denied the team’s decision to replace him with Albon showed a lack of faith in him.

“I didn’t have the easiest of years in 2023 and they stuck by my side,” he told the official F1 channel. “I believe I’ve had that support since the end of 2021, and I don’t think it’s gone anywhere.

“It’s just a difficult situation for everyone involved. A difficult situation for even the mechanics who have to shift the cars all the way across. It’s tough.”

Sargeant will drive for the team this weekend in Albon’s repaired car. He said it’s been “very well patched up” by the team. “The repair went better than expected and it should be exactly identical to what I previously had.”

He admitted he “felt a bit raw” in the days after his missed race but has been pleased with his performance since the season began. “We haven’t had the perfect start to the year but in terms of speed, I’m happy with where I’m at.

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“I just need to carry that into this weekend. For sure having a week off I got to spend it sitting on a beach, but also getting some good training in, seeing things from a different perspective and, come back here feeling actually very fresh and psychologically happy and just ready to get back in the car.”

Williams failed to score at Suzuka last year, where both drivers retired with damage. However Sargeant said their change in car design during the off-season should pay off at the demanding, high-speed circuit.

“It was one of the tracks that we struggled with a little bit with our car last year,” he said. “The philosophy change we made, in particular, this was one of the types of tracks that we’ve been targeting to improve on and it’ll be a test for us. A good challenge.

“At the same time, it’s an absolutely sensational track to drive. So, hopefully we can get the…