Logan Sargeant believes Nyck de Vries should have been given the full season to prove himself after being axed from AlphaTauri mid-season.
After dazzling at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix as a late substitute for the ill Alex Albon with Williams, De Vries had a torrid rookie season with AlphaTauri, where he was unceremoniously dismissed after the 2023 British GP for Daniel Ricciardo.
“In my opinion, you should get a full season to prove yourself,” said Sargeant to Total-Motorsport.com. “From my point of view, he was moving in the right direction.
“I thought he was starting to drive really well. So yeah, I thought it was really unfortunate and a little bit harsh.”
Praise for former F3 teammate Piastri
Whilst De Vries struggled, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri has shined in his rookie season, picking up two top-five finishes and impressively led the Sprint Race at Spa Francorchamps.
In 2020, Sargeant and Piastri duelled for the Formula 3 championship whilst being teammates for Prema, with the Australian taking the title at the season’s final race weekend in Mugello.
“Yeah, he’s done a really good job,” said Sargeant when asked about his thoughts on Piastri’s rookie campaign. “I think [McLaren] have done a good job moving that car forward from the start of the season,
“He’s driving extremely well, but I’ve been teammates with him plenty of times. So I already knew he was a great driver. So it doesn’t surprise me.”
More testing time would be beneficial
With in-season testing being banned in F1 since 2009, young drivers haven’t been able to get as much mileage under their belt before making their Grand Prix debut.
In 2022, the FIA introduced a new regulation that required all teams to give young drivers two FP1 appearances, with Sargeant sharing those duties with De Vries at Williams.
When Williams confirmed Sargeant’s full-time race before the 2022 United States GP at Austin, the Miami native made four more appearances to get him the mileage required to qualify for a superlicence.
“Well, me and Nyck, Oscar did a lot [of miles] last year,” said Sargeant. “I think [the lack of track time] is part of it now. More days would be hugely beneficial for rookies.
“But yes, there’s no point in me looking at that because I’m here more than halfway through the season.”
