The Las Vegas Grand Prix is the final time Formula 1 will race in the Americas this season.
After hosting races in Miami, Austin, Montreal, Mexico City and Sao Paulo, F1 prepares for the Las Vegas Grand Prix which will present its own set of unique challenges for all 20 drivers.
The low temperatures and very late nights mean everyone involved in the Formula 1 operation has to be on top of their game to avoid being caught out.
Las Vegas is the second American event this season to host a race without a home driver to support.
Williams decided to drop Logan Sargeant for Franco Colapinto after the Dutch Grand Prix, meaning the wait for an American driver to make a serious impact on the sport continues.
Sargeant was costing Williams too much money in crash damage for team principal James Vowles to justify retaining him.
However, some F1 fans have joked that Alpine star Esteban Ocon is paying tribute to the 23-year-old this weekend.
One look at his helmet design and it’s easy to see why they’ve come to that conclusion.
F1 fans joke Esteban Ocon is paying tribute to Logan Sargeant with Las Vegas Grand Prix helmet
Several teams are producing special liveries for the race in Las Vegas, while a number of drivers are paying their own tributes to the city.
F1 fans were impressed with Sauber’s new livery, even if the performance of the car isn’t up to scratch.
Ocon – who has taken part in 154 Grand Prix – posted a picture of his special helmet on Instagram alongside the caption of an American flag, a star and a saluting emoji.
READ MORE: Alpine driver Esteban Ocon’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
The official Marvel account replied: “On your left!”, however, plenty of fans were making a different comparison.
One fan said: “I just said ‘Logan Sargeant?’ out loud,” while another replied, “Logan’s legacy?”
Another fan joked: “Logan Sargeant you would have loved this,” another reply read: “The way I thought of Logan,” with a crying emoji.
However, plenty of fans were making puns based on Captain America, with one referring to Ocon as ‘Captain France’, while another person said it was, ‘The coolest lid on the grid.”
Ocon is a huge Marvel fan, admitting in an interview with The Athletic earlier in the season: “You are into the story so much, and you kind of dream about it.
“There is nothing else. It’s complete disconnection,” the 154-race driver even admitted he knew all of the words to the original Spider-Man film and Alpine and Marvel have a connection with Ryan Reynolds an investor in the team.
Who were the last American drivers to race in Formula 1 before Logan Sargeant?
There have been more than 50 drivers from the United States that have competed in F1, although this number is a lot higher when you take the sport’s origins into account.
During the first 11 official seasons of the Formula 1 World Championship, the Indy 500 was included on the calendar.
More than 200 American drivers have been entered into an F1 race as a result of this, but remarkably, only 19 have ever completed more than 10 events.
READ MORE: Williams driver Logan Sargeant’s life outside F1 from height to Donald Trump ties
Sargeant managed to start 36 Grand Prix during his time with Williams, scoring a single point at his home race in Austin in 2023.
Before him, Alexander Rossi was the most recent American F1 driver, standing in for Marussia in 2015 after several years as a test driver.
The only other American driver to race in Formula 1 this century was Scott Speed.
The perfectly named racing driver was part of the Red Bull junior driver program, however, after one-and-a-half seasons with Toro Rosso, he was replaced by future world champion Sebastian Vettel without scoring a point.
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