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Williams Racing's new driver Logan Sargeant believes that F1 will become the biggest sport in the United States of America very soon.
Ahead of the 2023 season, Williams replaced Nicholas Latifi with Sargeant after the academy driver secured an F1 superlicence in the season-ending Formula Two race in Abu Dhabi last year. Sargent will be the first American driver in the sport since Alexander Rossi in 2015.
Despite having strong competition from other racing series, the Grove-based outfit's newest driver has high hopes for the sport in his home country.
He said (via Racefans):
“It [Formula 1] seems almost as big as NASCAR and IndyCar, if not bigger. It’s hard to say without seeing the numbers,” he continued. “But it seems like it’s pretty popular, and that’s a positive.”
The 22-year-old added:
“Obviously, there’s a lot of diehard IndyCar and NASCAR fans who don’t always like it. But I think with the way the sport is going in America, it will, if it’s not already, it will be the biggest here shortly.”
F1 has seen a surge in popularity since the sport was bought by American media group Liberty Media six years ago. Netflix's series on the sport, Drive to Survive, has also been widely credited with bringing more fans to F1 in America.
Florida-born Sargeant has stated that he has noticed more Americans taking an interest in F1. He said:
“To be honest, I don’t think back in the day anyone really cared, anyone really understood what it was. It’s funny, people text me now and be like ‘hey, I realise how big of a thing this could eventually be or how big F1 really was’.”
He added:
“It’s a completely different world now in terms of America. Everyone knows what Formula 1 is now over there. It’s nice to see the transition and hopefully it keeps growing.”
The growth in popularity of the sport in the USA has seen Liberty Media add a third Grand Prix in the country, starting with 2023, which will see Sargeant race in front of his home crowd fans thrice — in Miami, Austin, and Las Vegas.
This is an opportunity he is grateful for. Calling it a privilege, the Williams driver said:
“I think coming into the sport, straight into a year where there’s three US grand prix is a special opportunity and a privilege at the same time. F1 in America is clearly at its peak and it’s still on the way up, which is a massive positive."
"You can see how many questions from friends and family and how curious people are about the sport and it does show how much it’s growing in America.”
Williams unveil livery for 2023 F1 season, announce long-term partnership with Gulf Oil
Williams Racing on Monday (February 6) revealed the livery of their car, named FW45, for the 2023 Formula 1 season. At the same event, they also announced a long-term partnership with American petroleum giants Gulf Oil.
Having been associated with McLaren until 2022, Gulf Oil will now see their logo and colors featured on FW45. The company's iconic colors will also adorn the drivers' race suits, pitstop gantry, and some of the team’s key pitstop personnel.
