Sargeant still in dark over F1 future as Williams deadline looms

The American has endured a difficult up-and-down rookie season that has been overshadowed by several costly crashes, while he has struggled to match the points-scoring heroics of teammate Alex Albon. 

However, Sargeant finally scored his maiden F1 points at his home race at the United States Grand Prix in Austin. 

The 22-year-old hopes his improved performances across recent races have strengthened his chances of holding onto his seat for a sophomore campaign. 

Williams team principal James Vowles said in October that his team were prepared to give Sargeant until the end of the year to show he deserves to retain his position alongside Albon, meaning this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be his last chance to impress. 

When asked in Thursday’s press conference in Yas Marina if he was confident of holding onto his seat for 2024, Sargeant replied: "It's a good question – honestly, I don't know.

"But for me it's just a case of taking it race by race. I feel like, from a driving point of view, everything has been getting much better in the past I don't know however many rounds.

"I'm just trying to do my job to the best I can. And I think with how it's been going recently, I don't see any issues.”

He added: “The biggest thing for me is appreciating the level of effort that needs to go into it to be able to perform at such a level every single day.

“You can get away on a semi-average day in junior formulas, you’re still right at the front, whereas here it’s not the case. 

“It’s about constantly trying to be able to perform at that level, day in and day out, and I think that’s been the biggest thing.”

Sargeant qualified a superb sixth on the grid last time out in Las Vegas and despite ultimately slipping to P16 by the end of the race, he feels it was his highlight of the season.

“I think to be able to finally put it together over three qualifying sessions was really nice, helped by the fact we had a quick car in Vegas, for sure,” he explained. “But yeah, that was definitely my highlight.”