P1 with Matt and Tommy - Who could replace Logan Sargeant at Williams?

Episode Date: September 28, 2023

There's one seat left unconfirmed on next year's F1 grid: the Williams seat of Logie Sarge. Will he be given another shot? Or could someone else take it from under him?We check in on all the rumours and potential alternatives! We're now on Patreon! Sign up HERE for ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive early access and loads more!Follow us on socials! You can find us on Twitter, Instagram, Twitch, YouTube and TikTok. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everybody and welcome back to the P-1 podcast. Or shall we call this the P20 Merchant Podcast on Bellingham? Savage. I am just quoting what you said at the start of the year and we're talking about him in this video. We sure are. We've missed talking about him. Yeah.

Slash everything. Yeah, it's been a while since we mentioned Logan Sargent all two days ago in our drive ratings. but it's now up for debate that final slot, isn't it? It certainly is. So today we are going to be discussing the one seat that is remaining on the 2024 grid. Will I get a clean sweep for my 2024 grid predictions of not changing any of the drivers? Logan actually, I think, could have secured his seat by now had he not been driving the way he is. Now, before we dive into any more, we have a five-star review, which we have a five-star review,

we need to read out. And if you want yours to be read out, please leave us a five-star review. Let us know why you love this podcast. It helps us massively. This one comes in from Deputy Dan, 95, from the UK. What a podcast with Matt's excitable antics and Tom's dulcet tones. Tommy, hit them with your voice right now. Oh yeah. I should probably mention, yeah, my voice is going to be a bit lower than normal because I've got a cold. Give me more Barry White. Come on. Okay, then. It's very basy. I bet I'm very basy through people's speakers.

You will not be disappointed listening to the P1 podcast. No other F1 podcast even comes close to it. The level of genuine analysis from excitable fans make Matt and Tommy the most relatable podcasters on the planet. Keep up the good work, guys. Thank you so much, Deputy Dan. I really appreciate the lovely words. We are very excited, but especially me.

Tommy is excitable, but in his own unique way. Yeah. I did that on purpose. That is brilliant. Even I didn't have any of it. I need enjoy that. Okay, let's dive into who gets the final seat then. We're going to go one by one and discuss the candidates

and how likely we think it is that they will be Albon's teammate at Williams next season. So why don't we start with the man himself who's driving? I think that's probably a good start. Logan Sargent. So 1 out of 10 is this not going to happen? 10 out of 10 is it's nailed on. I have gone for a seven out of ten for Logan's sergeant. For me, it's...

High grade that you normally gets. Yeah, to be fair, just clip that up, put it in the driver ratings. I think it's totally dependent on whether he picks up his game. If he continues the way he is, he is out of there. If he manages to score a point, though, or if he's just a couple of tents off Albon, I think that's all James Vowl's needs. I feel like James is a very understanding

I was going to say non-cutthroat, but I think maybe there is a line. I feel that's a line where he'll just go, get out. But I feel like he's a warm, kind, human being. That's at least how he comes across. And I feel like he is giving Logan

as much of a chance as possible in his rookie season as well to be able to show what he can do and if he can deliver. That being said, James Fowles wants to build a team. He's spoken about his five-year plan, even with us when we did that F-1 manager thing.

He spoke in detail about this five-year plan. And the one thing you have to have locked in are two drivers that can develop and move forward with the team. And that's what, seven out ten's quite a, I'd say, looks more towards, you know, that he will keep a seat. But that's because F1 teams, they know what Logan can do. If they spot a bit of potential with him and they think that they can harness that out of him, then they'll keep the same driver because changing to another driver, especially an unknown, is as much of a risk in some ways. it is indeed i've gone for an eight out of ten for logan sergeant now that is the highest grade you've

yeah it's really weird saying that because i feel like we're giving him a grade for a drive rating but no this is eight out of ten of how much i think he's going to keep his seat or who's he's going to get that williams seat um it just feels like despite everything he's still maybe it's the reason why uh they're still kind of not announced anything yet, that they're still giving him time and they want to give him time. And it does feel like maybe, you know, if he manages to, I think if he just keeps it out the wall, basically, and it doesn't need to be rapidly quick. Because I've seen like, you know, William's personnel saying that, you know, all the crashes have kind of hidden that he's actually made progress and

things and kind of agreed to a point that, you know, some races he hasn't been a million miles off, off Albin, but, and he doesn't need to be. He just needs to stop having these, these errors and costing the team money, like we said in the drive ratings. He's hurting the development of the team with how many crashes he's having at the moment. You know, you shouldn't, you shouldn't be able to have a 10-minute YouTube crash compilation of 15 races in F1 or however many it's been now. So, um, I think he might just get away with it and keep his seat by the skin of his teeth if he has no more, more smashes, essentially.

No more smashes, Logan. You've heard it here first from Tom Bellingham. Yeah. Felipe Drogovitch now, I have gone for a nine out of ten for Felipe Drogovitch. Yes, I think he is the nailed on favourite right now. Spoiler alert for the rest of my grades. but you can't get much higher than nine out of ten. He's got a bit of experience

after driving for Aster Martin in the pre-season test when Stroll broke his wrist or hand or whatever it was. And he's got a lot of cash. And there's a lot of rumours about him entering talks after Logan having quite a poor period of late. And I think Felipe Drogovich, when I look at the two of them

and I go, who is going to do better, I think Felipe would. I've kind of, I just feel a little bit more confident about it. I don't know why. I think it's because it's a recency bias for Logan rather than me saying that Felipe is the next coming of Charle-Claire. I don't think so. But I also wonder, from what Williams has seen so far in these first 15 races,

can they truly say, yes, Logan Sargent is going to be a good enough teammate for us to be able to become a front-running team? I don't think so And the 7 out of 10 that I gave Logan Some of that is because he's already in the team It's not because I think he has a huge amount of Of potential to be alongside or very close to Albon I just don't think he can

Felipe perhaps is worth that risk I've gone for a 7 out of 10 of how likely I think Drogovich is going to get this seat I think he is definitely one of the The favourites if they do make a switch. It's building a lot of momentum. I know if you look at any comment section of Williams at the moment, there's a lot of Brazilian flag emojis and stuff. And it is getting a lot of support over in Brazil. And, you know, rightly so. Brazil are, it just feels like a Formula One

nation, doesn't it? And it's strange that there isn't a Brazilian driver on the grid has been for, you know, for so long and it seems such a part of Formula One, like Brazil. So, I think he would be the best choice. You know, if it was, if it was on who I'd pick, I think Drogovich is, is the one I'd go for because I think you look at what he did in F2. Of course, you know, I don't think, like you said, that, you know, not saying that he's the next at and center or anything. but his year that he had an F2, I know the thing that kind of goes against him

was it was his third year in the sport, which always gives you a big advantage. But he absolutely obliterated everyone in that title. He won by over 100 points, which is no mean feat. And he won that title through consistency and just kind of getting the maximum out of the car and not making silly errors while other people were, yeah, maybe getting as many wins as him,

but also falling off the road or having crashes or retirements. And you've got to wonder, that's kind of what Williams need now. We mentioned that Logan Sargent is costing the team with all the crashes he's having. So maybe even though he's a rookie, Drukavich might be, you know, a safe pair of hands that even if he's not mighty fast,

is just kind of a consistent driver. And let's not forget, Liam Lawson didn't exactly, he's good, no doubt, but he didn't set the world alight and then he got his chance in Formula One and was really good. So we didn't know that Felipe Drogovich might not be absolutely amazing and just really suit Formula One cars when he gets there. So, yeah, I think he'd be a great choice

and I can see why there's rumours being picked up about him. And there's also data to be had, you know, if teams were to talk and Felipe has done a decent amount of running in the preseason test, as I mentioned. So he has got some Formula One car experience. And I'm sure the teams do talk about who's quick and who's not. So, yeah, very interesting for Felipe. Mick Schumacher. Why don't you go first, Tommy?

I'm going to go for a three out of ten for Mick Schumacher. I personally think this is not the right. choice. And I don't, I don't, I don't, I feel like this would just be a case of Toto absolutely, you know, Toto absolutely loves him, no doubt, and really wants to see him in that seat, but I just don't see it happening. I think he'd be, um, I can't see him joining at the start of the year. Maybe if Logan stays and it still goes bad, maybe, you know, as a Mercedes reserve, might get a chance, but I just, I just don't see it. And also, with the greatest respect to Mick Schumacher, he wasn't known for keeping his car all in one piece either.

So you do have to wonder replacing one destructors champion as that graphic that keeps going round about who's cost the team the most. It was Logan. That graphic went around two years ago and it was Mick that was comfortably top of it. So it doesn't seem like the right choice. I've gone for a one out of ten for Mick. I don't think it's going to happen. I don't think there's any hope and hell of this happening, unfortunately, for Mick. One of the reasons being what you've just mentioned, Tommy,

he's been known to push too hard and have some pretty enormous crashes, which cost has a lot of money a few years ago. And it just feels like there's no hype around him anymore at all. Like, Mick just doesn't, no one's talking about him really being back in Formula One, apart from Toto Wolf. Apart from Toto, yeah. And also as well, there was the interview that Mick was having where, I can't remember who it was, but someone basically said,

oh, so you're racing in Weck next year? And he went, oh, it's not official yet. And there was his whole chat about it, that Mick is driving for Alpine next year in Weck. So that is essentially where we believe Mick is going to be heading, which would then definitely confirm that he is not racing in Formula One next year. And it's just, it's weird because you would think, like Mick with the Mercedes ties and the power of Toto Wolf.

And also, you know, Toto knowing James, fouls very well. I'm sure they have a great relationship that you would think Mick would have a shoe in there, but I just can't see it happening. That wasn't even a joke, was it? Shoo in, shoe maca? No. Okay, carry on. Tommy, you?

You're a bit lairy today, aren't you, big boy? It's because we've recorded a P1 after duck just before. Yeah, we just recorded a Patreon pod where we literally just talk absolute waffle for 20 to 25 minutes, and Tommy, oh, you should have heard what he was saying. A filth coming out of my mouth, honestly.

Complete filth. Unreal. We spoke about Fernando Alonzo and the rest is history. Anyway, yeah, Mix Humacher, not going to happen, unfortunately. It seems like he is going to weck. So unfortunate for him, because I'm a massive Shumi fanboy from his father's glory days, but does not seem to be happening. Liam Lawson! Hit me again, Tommy. Go on. You do two. Oh, go on then. I'll go for a one out of ten for Liam Lawson. Shock. I don't think it's going to happen at all. It makes no sense. I know. he's done very well.

But the talk of the town at the moment is that Liam Lawson has agreed the Alfa Tauri contract and being that Red Bull Reserve driver with a kind of clause that he has to have a seat in 2025, whether that's Red Bull or Alfa Tauri, which makes you wonder that if a team like Williams went for him, they're essentially just making him good to then join a rival team. So it doesn't really make a lot of sense. And you've got to think for them to take a punt on a driver in a different academy that it's not just a very quick thing. You know, for example, you know, McLaren going after Oscar Piastri,

it wasn't, it was them getting Piastri and having Piastri not going, oh, you come in for one year and then you can go. back to Alpine. So I just don't, don't see it happening however much there's obviously talk about it because Liam is doing incredibly well. I just don't, I just don't see it can happen because of the Red Bull situation and how Lawson is locked into their driver program, even though, of course, he doesn't have a seat next year. I've gone for two out of ten for Liam Lawson. I feel like it's not a never say never Justin Bieber kind of style. I feel like there's there's a small tiny, tiny chance that it could happen. It's Alex Albon. He's a rebel driver and he went to Williams.

So it's not completely impossible. There could be a talk eventually where it's Sergeant just, you know, just doesn't pick it up. And then for whatever reason, maybe they rule out Drogovich. And then all of a sudden, you know, you might need that sub in driver for a year. I think it goes against what James Valens is trying to build, as I've mentioned previously. And he's trying to pushed the team forward for many years to come. But that being said, Liam Lawson's doing very well, and you know that if you just put him in the car,

he's going to do pretty well, and you already know he's at a benchmark level of the likes of Yuki Sonoda and Daniel Ricardo. So I don't think it's impossible. I think it requires a few drivers to not be available for Williams, for them to then start going, Helmut, would you mind? Could we just borrow him for a year?

Then we will give him back a promise. And for Red Bull and Alphotari, that's not a bad thing, them. Like, Liam could go and slot in for a year, and that gives him some experience in Formula 1s. I don't think Red Bull would be too against that. It's more just about what Williams are trying to, trying to achieve.

So, never say never. Frederick Vestey now. I've gone for a three out of ten for Frederick Vestey. Again, similar to Mick Schumacher, I feel like there's a, there's, there's, there's, there's, there's, there's not really much going on. It seems like, uh, if anything, it would be, um, um, Teo Porccia, but then again, Frederick Vestey, the only reason

that I've given him a three is because there's that link to Mercedes that he has again, but if Toto Wolf can't shoe in, sorry, again, McSumacher, then how is he going to do it with Frederick Vestey? I'm still going to stay with a three out of ten

just purely because he is a young driver on the sidelines that doesn't have a reputation of binning it and doesn't have a WEC contract potentially for next year. So that's why I'm going to go with the three. three. Going to go for a three out of ten as well for Frederick Vestey. It just seems like, yeah, it's weird that there's no hype around him.

You've got to wonder, it's Mercedes Junior, you'd be a bit like, look, I'm doing pretty well in F2 here. Toto, why are you trying to push Mick to everyone when I'm, you know, could, it's very unlikely, but he could still win the F2 title. And then, of course, winning the F2 title means you aren't allowed to carry on in F2. So then you look to to move on or, um, up to Formula One. So I think from the kind of, yeah, young drivers,

maybe he's the most likely just because of that Mercedes-Link, but I still don't think it's very likely. I say young drivers, that's excluding Drogovich, sorry, but the driver's an F2 at the moment. So he is 25 points behind Teo Porccia in the Formula 2 Championship. With a round to go. With one round to go. So good luck, but yeah, it's probably not going to happen.

Teo Porcciae now, finally, the driver that will most likely win the Formula 2 championship. And yet I'm only giving him a two out of 10 to get the seat at Williams, just purely because there is no link for him there to Williams and to that seat. And it just feels as though it's going to be one of those terrible things, terrible moments for a Formula 2 champion to then essentially be unemployed the next year because they can't go back to Formula 2 and there's no seats in Formula 1

will he get a reserve role somewhere and get integrated into a Formula 1 team that's yet to be seen but it's not a simple promotion system unfortunately from Formula 2 despite Porcair being very good this year in Formula 2 but again it's not completely not going to happen in my eyes

but it's one of those, oh wow, we've really not got any other drivers available. Let's go for like a Porcere or a vesti. That's kind of how I see it. Yeah, with Porcera, I've gone for a one out of ten because I just don't see it at all. He's kind of an Alpha Romeo Jr. I'm surprised that they announced Joe as early as they did with the fact that Teo is on the cusp of winning the F2 title, but they still obviously don't think he's ready. quite yet.

I feel like Teo Porcere will become a reserve driver at Alfredo and then essentially put that pressure on Joe Guan Yu throughout next season to see if he

can improve or just to kind of be there as a replacement if they don't feel like Joe's progressing or the money's not there or something like that. So the Williams link with Porcere, I just, I just don't see happening at all.

I just can't, I can't see it. I can't do it. I can't see it. I just can't see it at all with Porcere. And it will be a shame because, yeah, it very much looks like we will get another F2 champion with no seat. That's sad. It is sad. You almost wonder if Formula 2 should just let champions come back and just let them race if they've got nothing else to do.

Yeah, and then it's almost like. Yeah, and then if you win it two years on the bounce, it kind of really cements. Yeah, then it really cements to Formula One teams, okay, this is a special talent here or something. I'm not actually not against that. No, me neither. I think it was going to put that into the atmosphere.

Yeah, that was a proper light bulb. That's actually a really good idea. Let's know if you think that's a good idea in the comments or on social media. It would be interested to see if you think Formula 2 champions should be given one more year to race and be able to show Formula One teams exactly what they're made of, especially. Keep them on the radar, right, more than anything,

because that's what I feel some drivers do struggle with. And that is it. That is the end of our chat about who Williams signs for 2024. Tommy, how do you feel about that discussion? Do you feel as though Logie Bear's going to be on the grid next year? At the moment, I'm just slightly more thinking that Logan will keep his seat over Drogovich. I think it's going to be between those two. My kind of, yeah, thoughts after having this discussion is, boy, am I excited for next year's

silly season because so many, you know, this has been a proper, you know, no one's really moved. We might, could well, it's definitely either going to be one change or no changes. But my God, next year, when loads of contracts are up, it's going to be very close to a, you know, pretty close to a new regulation change. You might even get big drivers moving or even 2025. Like the next few years, it's going to be spicy the amount of changes we're going to get. Oh, God, tune in next year for the... Please keep watching.

Please subscribe because it's going to be great next year, is what we've basically said. And that is it. Thank you so much, everybody, for watching and listening. You've kind of given your final thoughts. Tommy, so I'm going to end it there. Take care. Adios. Bye-bye.

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