Schumacher claims Sargeant seat under pressure from F1 rookie

Heading into the final race of the season, Logan Sargeant’s future in Formula 1 is uncertain, as the American rookie who is not confirmed for 2024.

Having struggled at the beginning of the year and often qualifying in P20, as was the case again at the Yas Marina Circuit, Sargeant has started to improve his performance in the second half of the season.

At the Circuit of the Americas, he secured his first point in Formula 1, thanks to a double disqualification, and he finished just outside the points in P11 in Sao Paulo.

Sargeant also secured an impressive qualifying position at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, securing P7 on the grid. Unfortunately, Williams didn’t have the pace during the race, resulting in a P16 finish for the American.

READ MORE: Mercedes and Ferrari given punishment by stewards at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Williams team principal James Vowles has stated he is waiting until the end of the season before he makes a decision on who will partner Alex Albon next year.

Sargeant's future at Williams in doubt?

But with Sargeant still under pressure to perform, former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher has suggested that Williams could well be eyeing up F2 driver Frederik Vesti.

“In Las Vegas, I wondered why James Vowles had not yet signed Sargeant to Williams,” Schumacher told Sky Germany.

“This is probably because Frederik Vesti is on his wish list.

They are watching him closely in Abu Dhabi and may view his data in order to make a decision for next year.”

Fresh from securing victory in the F2 sprint in Abu Dhabi, Vesti is chasing down Theo Pourchaire in the championship race.

With one race to go in F2, Vesti is just 16 points behind Pourchaire, meaning victory in Sunday’s feature race could earn him the title.

Vesti also got a chance to enjoy a session behind the wheel of the Mercedes, taking P12 in FP1 with a best lap time of 1:26.815s, less than a second behind George Russell.

READ MORE: Russell dominates Abu Dhabi Grand Prix practice for Mercedes

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