Logan Sargeant insists he does not feel any extra pressure despite becoming the first full-time American Formula One driver in 16 years.
A fourth-placed finish in the Formula 2 championship, confirmed in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, saw the 21-year-old move above the threshold for the required points to earn a super licence, securing him a seat at Williams.
Sargeant will partner Alex Albon in 2023, with Nicolas Latifi losing his spot, and will be the first American driver since Scott Speed in 2007.
A move to F1 always comes with pressure – though that could be significantly more given the support from his homeland – but Sargeant does not believe that is the case.
“I have prepared the best I can to be the best driver I can possibly be,” he said. “Hopefully, I can represent them well and make them proud, but I don’t feel it’s any extra pressure.”
American drivers do not have an established recent history in Formula One, with the last driver prior to Speed being Michael Andretti, who was dropped three races before the conclusion of the 1993 season.
F1 is keen to continue to grow stateside, with Las Vegas joining Miami and Austin on the calendar next season, but Sargeant does not feel his nationality was a factor in gaining a seat on the grid.
“I like to think it is a happy coincidence,” he added. “I put in the hard work over the past however many years, made the commitment to move to Europe when I was young to make this dream a reality.
“I feel like I’ve had a very good junior formula career. And [I am] just looking forward to closing that chapter and move on to what’s next.”
Super excited to be joining the team in 2023. Can’t wait to get started! https://t.co/bkuHWeG3KK
— Logan Sargeant (@LoganSargeant) November 21, 2022
Source: Livescore