Logan Sargeant’s debut season in Formula 1 resulted in car damages for Williams that exceeded four times his salary.
In Formula 1, crashes range from dramatic multi-car collisions at race starts to misjudged overtakes. While these incidents are a common sight, they have significant financial implications, especially under the stringent cost caps of modern F1.
The past season witnessed several notable crashes. Carlos Sainz has an accident with a water valve cover in Las Vegas, and a mishap for Sergio Perez in his home race are just a couple of examples.
Sargeant’s expensive debut season
However, none proved as costly as those involving Logan Sargeant. Despite being one of the lowest-paid drivers, Sargeant’s accidents have led to substantial expenses for Williams. A compilation by Reddit user u/basspro24chevy reveals that the 22-year-old’s damages to the FW45 car amounted to £3.4 million (approximately $4,333,000).
The impact of Sargeant’s mishaps on Williams’ 2024 prospects
Sargeant’s crash during qualifying at the Japanese Grand Prix, attributed to driver error, resulted in significant damage to the car, including the front and rear wings and suspension. James Vowles, Williams’ team boss, underscored the financial burden of these incidents.
“Under the cost cap, what you don’t want to be doing is overproducing parts,” he said. “We’ve had more attrition than expected, I think it’s fair to say… It means we’ll have to divert attention away from other items [for 2024] while producing more spare parts before the end of the year.”
Despite Williams achieving their best season performance since 2017, finishing seventh overall, mainly due to consistent point-scoring from Alex Albon, Sargeant’s contribution was minimal, with only one point in his first season.
As for the 2024 season, Sargeant has just secured his seat despite the high costs of his accidents, but William’s will no doubt be keeping an eye on his performances next season.
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