“There were other choices” - Williams reveal they could have replaced Sargeant
Sargeant endured a difficult rookie F1 season as he was whitewashed by teammate Alex Albon in qualifying.
His F1 future was up in the air going into the final race, with Williams finally confirming Sargeant for 2024 after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 review show, Vowles explained why he wanted to remain loyal.
“The main thing is this. I really do believe in investing in the future of individuals,” he said.
“Not just in drivers but also within Williams itself, within the infrastructure. I myself was a graduate 25 years ago and I was given opportunities to grow. I made some terrible mistakes along the way but they formed me into who I am today. With Logan, it was the same thing.
“With very little mileage in very little testing at all we threw him in the deep end against Alex, who now the world really understands how competitive he is. So good luck, off you go. That’s simply not enough to create an environment where that individual grows.”
Vowles believes Sargeant showed enough quality in the final four to five races to remain on the grid.
“Without question, he struggled across the year,” he added. “However, across the last four, five races, part of it was definitely being in the top 10 in Las Vegas and doing some incredible laps, not just one, three or four throughout qualifying.
“He’s absorbing the pressure far better than he did before. He’s fighting for the back-end of the points. The car simply wasn’t quick enough across those last four rounds but he’s been where I needed him to be in order to demonstrate he’s made the step required and he can grow further next year, in other words the journey is still growing.
“There was optionality, there were other choices, but we’ve invested in him because we believe in him. He’s fiercely fast when he gets it all right and altogether. He needs the environment now where he can grow and do more of that next year. That’s why he deserves more of an opportunity.”
