Back in May, Williams F1, led by James Vowles, confirmed the multi-year contract extension of Alex Albon. However, Logan Sargeant’s future looks to be uncertain about the team.
As a result, Williams is keeping the doors open for other drivers to snatch up the American’s seat. Recently, Vowles revealed the names of the potential drivers being considered for their F1 seat in 2025.
James Vowles ‘incredible’ Sainz shortlisted for 2025 Williams F1 seat
Logan Sargeant, whose contract ends this season, has been struggling in the 2024 Formula 1 season. Meanwhile, while Albon has grabbed 2 points, the American hasn’t scored a point this year.
As a result, this lackluster performance has made the team hesitant to renew his contract. So, Williams is considering many ‘out of contract’ drivers for their second seat for 2025.
In an interview today, Williams’ Team Principal James Vowles said they have already shortlisted “two drivers” for the second seat. Speaking about this, he said:
“The shortlist is two drivers, simple as that, of which I think we’ve been very open on discussing who’s very much at the top of our list.”
Out of the many names, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz is in the hot seat to take over Sargeant’s place at Williams. Moreoever, backing up this rumour, Vowles admitted that “incredible” Sainz would be a “good match” for the Grove-based squad.
“But, it’s now determining what we can do to find a match with, in this circumstance, Carlos, who I think is an incredible driver, he’s a race-winning driver – he’s one that, last year, above all others was able to find his way through. But, it’s his choice as to where he wants to go to.”
With Sainz heavily linked to Williams and Sauber, Vowles believes that his team would be the “right option” for the Spaniard. Explaining this, he added:
“It’s been highlighted that there’s one or two options for him and we’re very much one of those two. I personally think we’re the right option – it’s a good match made together, but the choice remains, of course, his.”
Furthermore, as for Sargeant, Vowles had some ‘mixed-up’ words to say for the American ahead of tomorrow’s race at Montréal.
Vowles expects ‘more’ from Logan Sargeant to ‘save his seat’
During the same interview, James Vowles praised Logan Sargeant for the progress he has made since joining in 2023. Comparing him with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, the 44-year-old Briton admired his #2 by saying:
“I think there’s no doubt [that he has taken a step forwards], actually very similar to Oscar [Piastri], second year of running, and you are now seeing the confidence start to build as a result of it, and there is performance there.”
However, Vowles also acknowledged that Sargeant needs to take further steps in order to secure his position. Talking about this, he added:
“He is continuously evolving as an individual, as I hope he would be in that circumstance.”
“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.”
For now, James Vowles and his Williams squad are gearing up to snatch some valuable points at the 2024 Canadian GP. Specifically, the race kicks off at 18:00 PM (UK time) at the iconic Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
[adrotate banner=”6″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1’ at checkout.