The next American hope for a Formula One driver is one step away from joining the grid. Taking a path similar to those on the grid, however, is unconventional where he is from.
Logan Hunter Sargeant was born in Fort Lauderdale, Flordia, on December 31, 2000. Information about his parents is almost nonexistent, but his grandfather, on the other hand, is quite the recognizable figure.
Logan is the grandson of billionaire Harry Sargeant III, a Top Gun pilot for the navy. Harry Sargeant grew his business through his father’s asphalt storage business. One of Sargeant’s fraternity brothers, Charlie Crist, became the elected governor of Flordia in 2006, allowing Harry to become the finance chair of the Republican party.
Following his stint as finance chair, he started several energy businesses, including International Oil Trading CO, a company that transported fuel in Iraq.
Sargeant carries several ties to Donald Trump, from donating $100,000 to the Trump Victory Fund in June to having tires with Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, two Russian business people with ties to Rudy Guilliani.
In an article by Scott Waldman on E&E news, Waldman revealed that Harry Sargeant III was accused of war profiteering and found to play a role in American foreign affairs.
Logan’s relationship with his grandfather is unknown. His connection to his brother Dalton Sargeant, on the other hand, is well documented. Dalton and Logan both raced at the karting level together.
At the age of eight years old, Logan began karting. Dalton and Logan both raced at the karting level together. At such a young age, motorsport became a passion for Logan and F1 became his goal to reach.
The FIA ladder is the best route for any young driver looking to To develop and prepare for F1. This ladder begins at the FIA karting level and works your way up through F4, F3, and F2.
For Logan, this ladder was his only choice if he wanted to accomplish his dream.
Logan Sargeant’s karting career began in his hometown. Logan raced in the Rotax Max Challenge USA and Florida Winter series as his first taste of competition. He finished 3rd in both matches. The only two contests he did not win were his first two; Sargeant won the rest of his American karting series participation.
His most notable win was the SKUSA SuperNationals XV, where he completed a spectacular triple overtake by braking late and having much confidence in the kart.
Sargeant dominance stateside meant a move overseas was on the cards. Today, the most surefire path to Formula one is through the FIA ladder. The ladder begins with the FIA World KF-Junior Championship, a series taking place overseas in Europe.
At the ripe age of 12, Logan, along with his brother Dalton, faced a decision they could take the plunge into the highest level of karting or continue to compete where they were comfortable. As you’ll realize, Logan’s dream is Formula One, willing to do whatever it takes to get there.
In 2012, Logan competed in his first international karting series. He finished 3rd place, but like in America, this was the start of eventual success. Only three years later, Sargeant won the FIA World Karting Championship and the WSK Champions Cup.
Sargeant became the first American to win the FIA Karting Championship since 1978. He came overseas and could replicate his success in an arena filled with more intense competition.
At this point in his career, he had doors open to any realm of motorsport. Indycar, Nascar, and the smaller Formula series came knocking on his door, ready to get their hands on the American driving talent. F4 is the next rung on the Formula One ladder, meaning the choice was obvious for Logan.
At the lower formula level, Logan began as a driver at Team MotoPark in the Formula 4 UAE Championship series. He did not manage a win but finished on the podium in 15 out of the 18 races. He switched to Carlin for the F4 British Championship, where he came in third behind his teammate Oscar Piastri.
According to Motorsport Stats, Oscar Piastri won six races and got a podium in 50% of the races. He captured the pole seven times and got two fastest laps. In comparison, Logan won 2 races and finished on the podium only 33% of the time. The three pole positions and two fastest laps showcase a clear gap in pace at the Formula 4 level.
Oscar Piastri is one of the most exciting prospects from the developmental formula series. As he adjusts to single-seater formula cars, Sargeant hanging with him is no failure.
The following year, Logan entered the Formula 3 Championship with Carlin. Following his usual pattern when entering a new competition, Sargeant struggled with a learning curve. He finished behind both of his teammates, Teppei Natori and Felipe Drugovich.
Sargeant only scored points four times and finished 19th. It seems like this jump was too high for him. What is Formula 4? Was the highest level he could reach? What if he can’t keep going up the ladder? Instead of letting these questions eat at him, he buckled his chin strap and went racing.
After a rocky first year, Sargeant leveled up in his second season at the FIA F3 level. He switched over to one of the lower formula powerhouses, Prema. He joined up with Fredrick Vesti and Oscar Piastri, his once rival at the F4 level.
Logan won the second race in Silverstone and followed it up with a win in the Belgium sprint race. He led the Championship at one point but finished with 8 points in the last rounds. After a tightly contested competition, Sargeant ended up one point behind Vesti and four points behind Piastri.
He just missed out on Oscar yet again. Still, he proves that he belongs in the conversation of one of the most promising drivers.
After coming so close to winning the F3 Championship and testing out a car for F2 team Campos, F2 seemed like the only logical next step. Unfortunately, as he told the Racer in 2021, he finally faced the obstacle that ends promising careers at lower levels: money.
“F2 is ruled out for 2021,” Sargeant told the Racer. “The problem with F2 is its increased funding, as we know. I know they were saying that with the reduced rounds, it would come down but if anything, I think it has gone up a little bit, so that’s made it difficult. And even some of the not top teams still have a hefty budget. Honestly, we never really had the full budget to do it.”
Due to fiscal reasons, no team was willing to promote him to F2. He carried all the needed driving skills, but money reared its ugly head again, the most significant barrier to entry into motorsport.
Instead of fretting, he put his head down and pushed. He carried himself like a consummate professional and found a drive at the F3 level. Charouz Racing System gave him a seat, and Logan took them to new heights. He gave the team their first victory in Sochi, along with consistent points finishes. Leading a team that finished last the previous season, Sargeant ended 7th place at the end of the season, showcasing he can extract a lot from an underwhelming package.
Following months of uncertainty, Sargeant joined Carlin in F2. He presented an excellent financial package to Carlin, who got the drive for their team along with Liam Lawson.
While he secured the drive for 2022, his future in motorsport was still unknown. He did not belong to a driver academy and had offers to join Indycar. Sargeant told F1 Feeder Series’ Tyler Foster that his home racing series Indy was a real possibility.
“I was close, close to being honest,” Sargeant told Foster in the interview. “To be fair, a lot of it would have depended on that test that was soon to come. I was disappointed that I didn’t see what that car could do in the end because I was looking forward to it, but bigger and better things came along.”
For someone like Logan who loved American motorsport, it was not easy to turn to decide between Formula One and Indycar, especially given the financial struggle to even get on the Formula 2 grid. Logan had a test lined up with Foyt before a specific racing team offered him a spot in their academy.
Enter: Williams, the modern backmarker team. The British outfit offered Logan a developmental package enough to apease him. At one of the lowest teams in the grid and with Nicholas Latifi as the benchmark, Williams presented a clear path into the F1 grid.
The Williams Academy role sorted his future; he had an F2 seat, and now it was time to see what he could do on the final step of the ladder. An American, to get this high up the FIA ladder is a remarkable feat. The F2 grid features a variety of countries, but it has lacked a proven American talent since 2015 with Alexander Rossi.
Becoming the first American to win an F2 race, Logan Sargeant won in Silverstone. He showcased a great pace throughout the weekend, nursing his tires and getting the most out of the car for a win. Sargeant followed that performance up with a 14 overtake display at the Red Bull Ring this year. He also managed a podium in Baku, one of the trickiest race tracks on the F1 calendar.
Williams saw enough to offer Sargeant an FP1 session at the Circuit of the Americas. Logan will replace Latifi and go head-to-head with Albon, his potential future teammate, next year.
To race in F1 next year, he needs to qualify for a super license. Logan currently sits third in the standings. He must finish in the top 5 to be eligible for the Super license points. Sargeant sits at 135 points, 9 points away from 5th or 6th. He has 27 super license points; finishing in 5th in F2 would give him 20 points and put him clear of the 40-point threshold needed.
According to Formula Nerds, he could finish in 6th place. He would get 10 points for finishing 6th and 2 points for not getting a penalty. Finishing the season in 6th place in the standings would place him at 39 points, just one shy of the 40 needed. If he drives more than 100 km in FP1, he will receive one Superlicense point, giving him 40.
He needs to perform at the last race in Abu Dhabi. Dropping any lower than 6th and his F1 dream would be in jeopardy. If he does qualify, Mark Webber is already on the record saying he is the favorite, and all signs point to him being the chosen driver if he allows it.
The next American F1 driver is one solid race performance from joining the grid. The pressure is on him to deliver the results. His career tells the story of a driver with a strong will and determination. Factors out of his control might interfere, but Logan will give it his all in AbuDubai.
Like the US soccer talents that went abroad to Germany and England to chase worldwide recognition, Logan bet on himself and went up against Europe’s best prospects. His gamble paid off, as he is regarded as one of the best drivers on the F2 grid, regardless of nationality.
America is a hotbed for F1, and its popularity in the states is rising. An American driver will do a lot for its popularity here, giving Americans their driver to root for on Drive to Survive.
Logan Sargeant carries the pedigree, skills, and experience to serve a spot on the F1 grid. Time will tell if the Star Spangled Banner will play on the podium of an F1 race.
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