F1 'driver error' at Dutch Grand Prix SLAMMED as 'justification' for brutal team axing

Logan Sargeant and James Vowles look at one another with Sargeant's crashed Williams in the background — Photo: © IMAGO

Dutch Grand Prix

F1 'driver error' SLAMMED as 'justification' for brutal team axing

There was no sugarcoating the situation

Rhys Thomas

Saturday 24 August 2024 20:57 Updated: 21:10

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A major mistake from Williams Formula 1 driver Logan Sargeant which led to a dramatic crash has been heavily criticised.

F1 returned to action in Zandvoort as practice for the Dutch Grand Prix signified the resumption of the season after the summer break.

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Wet weather and crashes wreaked havoc on the practice sessions, with FP1 seeing limited meaningful running due to rain and FP2 headlined by Nico Hulkenberg's crash which induced the red flag.

The most dramatic of the practice incidents came in the final session, though, when Logan Sargeant got on the grass and careered into the barrier in a hugely damaging and fiery accident.

Wet weather plagued practice sessions at the Dutch Grand Prix

Logan Sargeant jumps from his cockpit with his car on fire

Sargeant crash simply 'driver error'

Sargeant's incident 20 minutes into the session immediately brought out the red flag, and the session did not resume until there were under two minutes to go, meaning drivers again did not get much useful run time.

The angle at which the Williams driver collided with the barrier collapsed the rear of the car and a fire started with the American still in the cockpit.

He quickly jumped out having been alerted to this, after confirming over team radio that he was okay.

However, his car had suffered significant damage, with boss James Vowles predicting a chassis change could be needed for the race.

Logan Sargeant's crash caused major damage to his Williams

Having spoken with Vowles on the pit wall during Sky Sports F1's coverage of the session, pundit and Mercedes simulator driver Anthony Davidson offered an honest assessment of the incident.

“For Logan it’s another huge knock to your confidence," he said, referencing the fact that he had been informed over the summer break that he would not have a seat in 2025, with Williams opting to sign Carlos Sainz.

“From James' [Vowles] point of view, and from the team’s point of view, I guess what’s just happened there [the crash], brutally speaking here, it justifies their decision to swap the drivers and put a driver like Carlos Sainz in the car for next year because you have to try to minimise these kind of moments," said Davidson.

“Yes, it was driver error. There's no other way I can build this up: it was driver error. As a team principal, as a team, you have to try and minimise those moments.”

It also comes at a grand prix to which Williams have brought significant upgrades in a bid to close in on the midfield pack. Teams sometimes opt not to run an updated car in challenging conditions, but given the adverse weather forecast for the rest of the weekend, Sargeant went out with the improvements.

“You need to put them on the car at some point and trust that you’re going to have them in tact for the end of the session so you can carry on working on things for the next session or the next day, and now they’re gone,” added Davidson.

Ferrari FIA Nico Hulkenberg Dutch Grand Prix Logan Sargeant