Picture spending more than half of your life in pursuit of a singular dream, only to have that dream dashed in the most public and embarrassing manner. That was Logan Sargeant‘s reality this summer.
The American kid, driving for Williams in Formula 1, was dropped halfway through his second grand prix season after a string of poor results and found himself needing to start over as a professional race car driver. And in life.
Leaving Florida before he was a teenager, Sargeant leapt onto the European karting ladder in the early 2010s along with future four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, and followed the path all the way to the top. Living in London, often in solitude while his friends were back home in high school, Sargeant dedicated every aspect of his youth to reaching the pinnacle of international motor racing. And after a brief period basking in F1’s sunlight, it’s time to find a second act.
It’s a transitional process that awaits most athletes in their late 30s and early 40s, but for Sargeant, cruelly, it’s happened at the age of 23. Being rejected by the sport he’d loved forever, which provided his identity and sense of worth in the world, is a lot to process for someone so young.
Returning to the U.S. after the split with Williams, Sargeant faces the pressing need to make two major decisions: What does he do next and where does he go to do it? He’s hoping the next chapter in his career will be found in IndyCar or IMSA’s sports car championship.
“It was a long, long journey in Europe,” Sargeant told ESPN last week at the site of his first IndyCar test with the Indianapolis 500-winning Meyer Shank Racing team. “Plenty of pros and cons. I felt like there were a lot of parts of life that you lack — being on your own over there, just racing constantly — but everything happens for a reason. I feel like being back in America and being back with friends and family, having opportunities over here, might open better doors for myself.
“IndyCar, obviously, is a tough series to get into at the moment. I’m not sure yet on what I’m going to do, so I’m just taking it slow at the minute, so we’ll see what comes in the future. I’m really just looking forward to getting back…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at www.espn.com – RPM…