'I just feel so much more healthy' – Sargeant explains how he has bounced back after rookie season took ‘big toll’

Logan Sargeant believes he is now in a “much better frame of mind” – as well as feeling physically fitter – ahead of his second season in F1 after taking time to train and reflect over the winter break.

The American endured some ups and downs during his rookie campaign with Williams in 2023. There were a number of crashes and incidents, but Sargeant looked to have gained confidence towards the end of the year, with his sole point coming on home turf at the United States Grand Prix.

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It was confirmed in December that the team would retain Sargeant as Alex Albon’s team mate in 2024, and the 23-year-old spoke at the recent launch of their new challenger about how he had been able to reflect on his debut outing in the sport during the off-season.

“I’m really excited [about my second year], of course, excited to be back,” Sargeant explained. “So privileged to be back with such an amazing team as well. I feel like I got to the end of the season [and] I needed that break – I feel like it’s been such a beneficial break for me, mentally, physically, to get myself back in the place that I needed to be, and just being able to reflect on what was a super, super long season.

“Some highs, more lows than I would have liked, but you have to take the good with the bad, learn from the mistakes, and I feel like I’ve been able to really reflect on myself and how I can be better for this year, so I’m, after a good break, motivated to get back to it.”

In terms of what that reflection involved, Sargeant continued: “Firstly, when you first start that break, you honestly just want to live normal, see your friends, see your family, let your mind relax, just let go of racing for a little bit of time, which was really nice.

“Then you get through the New Year and you start really training hard again, and you start just thinking about what you went through mentally, what you went through emotionally, in the past season, how can you be better, conversations with people who are close to you, and I feel like you’re always making steps forward.

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“Of course there’s always more to find, but I feel like, in that sense, I’ve put myself in a much better frame of mind, and [I have] much more understanding of what’s to come as well and how to manage that over the course of the season.”

One particular area for improvement that Sargeant wanted to address was his training regime, with the driver admitting that he felt slightly “run down” at the end of 2023.

“I think, if I’m being realistic, last year took a big toll on me throughout the year, and I didn’t feel super… I guess you can say healthy, to an extent, at the end of the year,” he commented. “Just light, just a bit run down.

“I’d been through obviously an intense season, so to have that break… I’m five kilos heavier than I was at the end of last season, and a lot of it’s muscle, obviously putting the water back into my body is a lot of it as well, but I just feel so much more healthy. I feel like my body’s in a great place.

“I feel like it’s something I needed to work on, and I feel like the first chance I really had to attack that was the off-season, and I think I’ve made strides forward from a physical point of view. [I will] just look to try and maintain [that] better than last year, try to hold that weight, try to stay a little bit stronger through the season, and I think ultimately that will help me feel healthier and also mentally better.”

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With a 24-race calendar lined up, Sargeant is expecting another intense season. However, the Williams driver feels he is mentally better prepared as well as physically, particularly in terms of his approach when entering into each race weekend.

“After reflecting, I think a lot of times last year I just didn’t hit the ground running as quick as I needed to, and I always just felt a little bit on the back foot and then was fighting forward from there,” Sargeant added.

“I think, now just having that reference of what the car is truly capable of for all the tracks that we’re going to, I feel like I’ll be able to really start stronger every single weekend and give myself less to do throughout it. I think it’s never easy – I know it’s going to be another long, difficult season, but at the same time I feel much more equipped and better prepared for it.”