This season Logan Sargeant is making his Formula 1 debut with the Williams team. He is the first driver from the USA to race for the world championship since Scott Speed in 2007. But for the Red Bull boss Christian Horner, Logan Sargeant will not have the popularity to capture the attention of the American public and will fail to get the needed results in Formula 1 to turn around the sport in America. 

In recent months, F1 has found a new target and a new audience – the United States. With three American Grands Prix on the 2023 calendar, the arrival of Ford in 2026 and the desire of Andretti and Cadillac to enter Formula One, the top category is changing dimension across the Atlantic.

In addition, Logan Sargeant, a young American driver, is joining the Williams team for the 2023 season. He ends a decade without an American on the grid. For the new audience in the US, he could be considered a local idol like Sergio Perez is in Mexico. But according to Red Bull boss Christian Horner, F1 needs a driver who can win races and championships, and for him, Logan Sargeant will not have that impact to capture the attention of his audience.

America needs a Max Verstappen

“Imagine if there was an American Max Verstappen. What we need is a young, talented and competitive American driver. It’s great to have him. He’s a talented young man but he’s going to be limited in what he can do…”

Christian Horner’s comments are based on Williams’ place in the 2022 world championship. The British team finished last in the constructors’ championship.

“The problem is that if you finish 14th or 15th, it doesn’t really excite people. I think if he was fighting at the front in a competitive car then you would see what happened with Fernando in Spain or Sergio and the reaction in Mexico.” concludes Horner.

Like his counterpart at Haas F1, the team from the USA run by Gunther Steiner; Christian Horner regrets the lack of an American driver, but believes it will happen in time.

“The key,” he says, “is to have a strong interest in the sport to encourage young Americans to take up the sport.”

“This is a great opportunity to represent my country”

This season, Logan Sargeant will be able to enjoy three Grand Prix events at home, including Miami, Florida. This is the region where the new Williams driver comes from. There’s only one thing we can say, and that is that the American is looking forward to the 2023 season.

“This is a great opportunity to represent my country to the best of my ability. To have three home Grands Prix is not something that many, if anyone, has ever been able to say, so I’m looking forward to those moments.”

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2023 presentation dates in the table below