27 September 2023 , 07:00
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Karun Chandhok refused to count Logan Sargeant out of a place on the 2024 grid despite his struggles this season.
The Formula 1 rookie has yet to score a point after 16 race weekends so far this year. In contrast, team-mate Alex Albon has scored 21 to single-handedly propel Williams to seventh in the constructors' championship.
Moreover, Sargeant has also racked up a significant repair bill this season with a significant number of crashes. The latest came at last weekend's Japanese Grand Prix, when he smashed up his car in qualifying and also collided with Valtteri Bottas during the following day's race.
Some feel the writing might be on the wall for the Floridian, with a plethora of options for Williams to explore should they choose to make a change for 2024. But, speaking to prior to the Japan race, Chandhok thinks Sargeant still has time to save his seat.
"Only [Williams] can decide what they can and cannot afford," he said, in an interview facilitated by OLBG. "Ultimately, they are the ones with the power. It's no secret that points mean prizes, but they have to see who else is on the market.
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"Do they take a punt on another rookie from Formula 2? Do they try to buy Liam out of his contract, consider the cost versus the benefit of that? Do they hope that Logan, in his second season – obviously he has to be better – improves enough to be a regular point-scorer?
"As the team improves, they will want both cars to be scoring points and that's more of a factor when you try to go from seventh to sixth, to fifth, to fourth and further up. There are lots of tough decisions to make if you're [team principal] James Vowles at the moment.
"Logan has got seven more opportunities to get rid of these pressures. As a driver, you have to treat every weekend as an opportunity. There are no guarantees in life and nobody owes you anything. As a sportsperson, you have to make things happen for you. He's got a fantastic opportunity in the seven races coming up to try to make it count. Good luck to him."
Sargeant's season so far has been a polar opposite to that of his team-mate. While the American has struggled to build any momentum, Albon is riding the crest of a wave and earning some admiring glances from other teams further up the F1 paddock for his performances this year.
"He's blossomed into a really impressive bloke, in and out of the car," Chandhok said of the British-Thai racer. "He's got a degree of maturity. He's obviously driving well – anyone can see that – but the way he interacts with the team, not only his close people but the engineers, he's a real professional.
"And he's become a team leader which is exactly what Williams needed. I think James Vowles has done a great job so far to go in there and identify some weaknesses. It is a long-term project but the fact they've gone from where they were two or three years ago to seventh this year, and a clear seventh as well, is really impressive.
"Everybody loves Williams and wants to see them do well, I think any fan has a soft spot for Williams. Onwards and upwards and, hopefully, they carry on their trajectory."