Williams has issued an update on rookie F1 driver Logan Sargeant after the American was forced to retire from the Qatar Grand Prix with “intense dehydration”. The 22-year-old has had a turbulent season and is yet to register a point in the Drivers’ Championship.
He is also yet to have his seat confirmed for the 2024 F1 season, with most, if not all, spots announced for rival teams. And his case wasn’t helped in Qatar with another weekend without any points.
Sargeant headed for the medical center after being taken ill and slowly exiting the Williams cockpit. “Following Logan’s retirement from the Grand Prix, he has been assessed and cleared by the medical team on-site after suffering from intense dehydration during the race weakened by having flu-like symptoms earlier in the week,” the team confirmed.
Sargeant wasn’t the only driver on the F1 grid to suffer from Qatar’s unbearable conditions. Esteban Ocon vomited while driving. “I was throwing up, yeah, by lap 15 or 16 for two laps, I think. I was doing that and was like, ‘S***, it’s going to be a long one’,” said the Alpine racer.
“I managed to get that under control, just mentally, and focus on exactly what I had to do. I’ve never had that in the past, I’ve always been able to do two race distances in the car, that’s always what I was training for. But today, just the hot air and how hot the engine is from behind the car… I don’t think we particularly sealed the cockpit too well, so it must have been 80 degrees inside the case today.
“I’m glad that next year we come back in December. In the straight line, I was trying to catch some air with my hands to try to guide it to the helmet. The more I was breathing to get back better into the corners, the hotter it was in the helmet. It was horrible. But, yeah, the hardest fought points ever, on my side, but glad that we maximized the result and P7 is a very good result for us today.”
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Despite Sargeant being one of few drivers yet to score a point this season, his Williams teammate, Alex Albon, has thrown his support behind the American. Albon believes Williams should stick with their investment. Speaking exclusively to Daily Express Sport US last month, Albon said ahead of Suzuka: “For sure [Williams should stick with Sargeant]. I get on very well with Logan, every session he has raw speed.
“I know what it’s like to be a rookie. I think these cars as well, are harder than ever to get right because they’re so stiff nowadays. There’s such a small sweet spot with them and the tires on top as well, it does take quite a lot of time to get used to. F1 cars three or four years ago were a lot easier to drive than they are now. It’ll take time.”
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