Logan Sargeant shares how expectations on American drivers are lower in F1 compared to others - "People think and expect less."

Williams driver Logan Sargeant has said that the approach towards American F1 drivers is different because of the low expectations.

Logan Sargeant debuted in F1 in the 2023 season, becoming the first American driver since Alexander Rossi in 2015 to step on the grid.

Sargeant's rookie season was rather tough given the pace of the Williams and other aspects. He only scored a single point throughout the season - at the United States GP when Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were disqualified.

Speaking to Autosport, Logan Sargeant said that there are fewer expectations from an American F1 driver.

"I think people think and expect less from an American driver," Sargeant said.

"But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter, because as long as the people who matter sort of know what's going on, and know what you're capable of, that's all that matters," he added.

Sargean said that he avoids the critics and keeps himself determined towards improving his performance on the grid.

"So the external noise is just realistically completely irrelevant," he said.

"You just do your job, you keep working hard, and you work with the people who can make a difference to your career, and you do your best for them," Sargeant added.

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Logan Sargeant explains the difficulties Americans face in entering F1

Formula 1 has not witnessed many American drivers in its long history. Initially, it was because of the large European involvement, but this has seemingly continued for years.

Logan Sargeant highlighted the reason that makes it difficult for Americans to make it to F1 despite the sport's popularity in the country.

"I just believe there's a lot of obstacles for Americans to get into F1," he said. "It's not easy to sort of pick your life up, move to Europe and race overseas. It costs a lot of money. It’s just a lot easier to race in America."

American racing series like NASCAR and IndyCar serve as alternate options for the drivers to race in, which makes their motorsport career much easier than it would be if they were to enter F1.

"And you obviously have great options there between IndyCar and NASCAR. It’s not an easy move for anyone. So I feel like that's why I feel, and especially when I was coming through, there were very few American drivers even attempting to get to F1."

Despite this, the sport has an immense fan following in the United States. Drivers like Jak Crawford and Juan Manuel Correa in the junior Formula 2 series continue to head for the ultimate seat in F1.

Logan Sargeant will be driving for Williams in the 2024 season alongside Alex Albon. The team finished the 2023 championship in seventh place, ahead of AlphaTauri and an improvement from their bottom-placed finish the previous year.