With silly season accelerating, there are a number of F1 drivers who are fighting for their seats. This week has seen two big stories, with Sergio Perez earning a new Red Bull deal and Alpine announcing the departure of Esteban Ocon.
This has shifted the landscape in the market once again. For instance, it’s increased the pressure on RB veteran Daniel Ricciardo.
If teammate Yuki Tsunoda had earned a promotion to Red Bull after his standout performances this year, then Ricciardo’s spot would likely have been safe. Tsunoda’s exit would have left a clear vacancy for Liam Lawson.
But as it is, the promising reserve driver is still breathing down his neck. If he can’t improve the form that has seen him score only five points so far this year (compared to 19 for Tsunoda), he could be in trouble.
Elsewhere, the clock may be ticking for Kevin Magnussen. His teammate Nico Hulkenberg is leaving Haas to join Sauber, so he doesn’t necessarily need to worry about losing his drive to youngster Oliver Bearman.
But Ayao Komatsu could decide to replace him with Esteban Ocon instead. Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle is ‘pretty sure’ that the Frenchman is headed for the American outfit.
James Vowles admits Logan Sargeant may not be hitting Williams targets
Williams driver Logan Sargeant arguably faces the biggest task of all to earn a new deal. The team’s patience with the 23-year-old seems to be running out
He scored just one point in his rookie year, compared to 27 for teammate Alex Albon. Williams gave him another chance with the warning that he had to be the ‘surprise of the season’.
Unfortunately, Sargeant has yet to show a significant improvement. He’s only beaten Albon in one meaningful session all year (Sprint qualifying in Miami), and hasn’t finished higher than 14th in any race.
Some may feel that the writing has been on the wall ever since the Australian Grand Prix in March. When Albon broke one of the team’s two available chassis, team principal James Vowles allowed him to jump into Sargeant’s car for the remainder of the weekend, sidelining the American.
There has even been talk that he could lose his seat midway through the season, with Williams requesting an FP1 outing for Mercedes junior Kimi Antonelli to put him through his paces. While that talk has somewhat died down, things are still looking bleak.
During the team principals’ press conference in Canada, Vowles spoke frankly about Sargeant’s future. He admits he needs to improve to have any chance of staying with the Grove outfit.
“He is continuously evolving as an individual, as I hope he would be in that circumstance,” Vowles, who has overseen 30 races at Williams, said. “Is he where I need him to be target-wise? And that’s the big question of things. We need more from him, really, to be able to save his seat in that sort of circumstance.”
Williams 90% sure about signing Carlos Sainz
The biggest problem for Sargeant is that his time may already be up. F1 Oversteer understands that Carlos Sainz is headed to Williams, with the team 90% sure the deal will happen.
When the opportunity to sign Sainz presented itself, Vowles wouldn’t have hesitated. The Spaniard is a three-time race-winner who’s scored 22 podiums overall.
Indeed, he started the year as perhaps the top free agent on the market after Ferrari announced the signing of Lewis Hamilton. Williams might have been surprised that a front-running team didn’t snap him up.
If Sargeant does give up his seat to Sainz, then that might be it for his F1 career. His management previously entered talks with Haas, but they’re now set for an Ocon-Bearman driver pairing.
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