Williams Racing driver Logan Sargeant has been dropped for the remainder of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
It has been a tough campaign for American Sargeant as his future in F1 has been thrown into chaos due to Williams signing Alexander Albon to a new deal and the imminent arrival of Carlos Sainz from Ferrari.
During the Dutch Grand Prix over the weekend, Sargeant's case for an F1 seat next season took another hit as his Williams was left in flames during free practice after an accident.
As a result of the incident, it was reported that Williams were thinking about dropping Sargeant ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, which will take place this weekend in Monza.
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On Tuesday afternoon, it was confirmed that Argentine Franco Colapinto will replace Sargeant for the remainder of the 2024 season.
In a statement, Williams Racing wrote: “Williams Racing announces that Franco Colapinto will race with the team for the remainder of the 2024 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season and will compete from the Italian Grand Prix alongside Alex Albon. He will use the race number #43.
“Franco is a member of the Williams Racing Driver Academy and made his FP1 debut in this year’s FW46 at the British Grand Prix. His F2 campaign this year has seen him secure a race win in Imola and podiums in the Barcelona and Austria Feature races, as well as seven further points-scoring outings.”
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Colapinto is the first Argentine driver in F1 for 23 years and the second Argentine to drive for the British outfit, following his countryman Carlos Reutemann.
The 21-year-old said: "It is an honour to be making my Formula 1 debut with Williams – this is what dreams are made of. The team has such amazing history and a mission to get back to the front which I can’t wait to be part of.
"Coming into F1 mid-season will be an enormous learning curve but I am up for the challenge, and I’m fully focused on working as hard as I can with Alex and the team to make it a success.”
In a post on social media, Williams thanked Sargeant: “We’d like to thank Logan for everything he has done the past two seasons. He will remain a member of the Williams family and we will be supporting him to continue his racing career.”
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Topics: Formula 1
Marcus Chan