F1 team chief discusses mid-season driver CHANGE

Drivers, 2024, Generic, Social — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Driver Transfers

F1 team chief discusses mid-season driver CHANGE

Williams boss James Vowles has been speaking about his driver lineup

By Sam Cook.

Tuesday 6 August 2024 20:00

One Formula 1 team chief has hinted that there could be potential for a mid-season driver swap at their current team.

These comments come as F1 has paused for the summer break following the Belgian Grand Prix, and we are now in a period commonly referred to as 'silly season' when rumors fly around, and driver deals are announced.

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Ever since Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari was announced earlier this year, however, silly season kicked off early.

One driver who was directly impacted by that move was Carlos Sainz, who will be replaced by the seven-time world champion, leaving him looking for a new team.

Carlos Sainz recently signed with Williams for 2025 onwards

Logan Sargeant will be replaced by Williams

Sargeant under pressure

Sainz's move to Williams means that Logan Sargeant will be out of a seat, and unlikely to be given another opportunity elsewhere due to his poor performances since joining the F1 grid.

Sargeant has only scored one point in his F1 career, a career that started on the first race of the 2023 season.

While showing marginal improvement at some races, the American has made silly mistakes at others in 2024, costing his team a shot at points-scoring positions, and ultimately costing him his seat in the sport.

While Sainz will take that seat in 2025, there have been some rumors that Williams might look to replace Sargeant earlier than that, promoting a young driver into the seat for the second half of the 2024 season.

James Vowles became Williams team principal in 2023

Now, Williams team principal James Vowles has opened up on this possibility, stating that he hopes Sargeant can do enough to see out the season.

"As I've said time and time again, I've done everything possible, and I will continue to do so to give him the platform where he can do so," Vowles told the F1 Nation podcast.

"In other words, I want him to see out the season. I want him. He's a Williams academy driver, he will remain a Williams academy driver. We've invested in him, not just in two years of Formula 1 but also in his F2 career and otherwise, and we have a responsibility towards him as well.

"He deserves to be a professional driver, he's one of the 20 best Formula 1 drivers in the world. Stop there. As long as he earns it, he has a seat, and he has to earn it.

"I would say the blunt truth behind it, and I've told him as well, Silverstone and Budapest, good job, he did move forward, you can see he's seconds off Alex [Albon] and Alex is faster than people think. But in Spa, we weren't there, and we have to understand why together, what's different and will it apply to future races, and that's the blunt truth behind it."

Red Bull Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Carlos Sainz Williams