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Sargeant confident American fan support will come
Logan Sargeant believes he will receive more support from fans in the United States as he continues to develop and improve as a Formula 1 driver.
Sky Sports pundit Danica Patrick raised the point during his rookie season of Formula 1 that Sargeant was not so well-known in America because he rose through the European racing scene. The 22-year-old, who recently received confirmation from Williams that he will race with the team again in 2024, agrees that the longer he spends in F1 the more recognition and support he is going to get, although he feels his commitment to racing in Europe should not be viewed negatively in the States.
“I think the simple fact around it is it should be appreciated, the fact that I put in the hard yards that almost no one will put in because of the sacrifice it takes,” Sargeant told RACER. “And at the end of the day, if there isn't the support there now then I will get it eventually -- there is no doubt about that as I keep improving, it's just naturally going to come.
“But you don't get to F1 without putting in the hard yards -- moving to Europe, putting in the work -- and ultimately, I was the only one that really did that. So that's why I'm here and others aren’t.”
Although Miami is Sargeant’s home race, the Floridian enjoyed strong results in the other two U.S. rounds as he scored his first point at Circuit of The Americas and qualified a career-best sixth in Las Vegas, where he noted the increase in fans wanting to see him do well.
“From what I heard from the outside there were plenty of cheers, so that's that's really cool. And like I said, whether they know me now or they don’t, as I keep moving forward, as I keep progressing, as I keep putting in better results, it will grow naturally and I will eventually get 100% of that support.”
Chris Medland
While studying Sports Journalism at the University of Central Lancashire, Chris managed to talk his way into working at the British Grand Prix in 2008 and was retained for three years before joining ESPN F1 as Assistant Editor. After three further years at ESPN, a spell as F1 Editor at Crash Media Group was followed by the major task of launching F1i.com’s English-language website and running it as Editor. Present at every race since the start of 2014, he has continued building his freelance portfolio, working with international titles. As well as writing for RACER, his broadcast work includes television appearances on F1 TV and as a presenter and reporter on North America's live radio coverage on SiriusXM.
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