Williams should not have re-signed Logan Sargeant to continue with the team in F1 2024.

That is the opinion of Sky F1 pundit Karun Chandhok, who looked back on what has been an eventful year for Williams on the F1 driver front.

Williams criticised for retaining Logan Sargeant

After scoring a sole point in his rookie F1 campaign, Williams opted to retain faith in their academy graduate Sargeant for 2024, that stance lasting until the Dutch Grand Prix, after which Williams axed Sargeant and promoted another junior driver in Franco Colapinto into the seat.

But there would be no prospect of Colapinto working his way into Williams’ plans for next season, with a deal struck to bring in Carlos Sainz from Ferrari to partner Alex Albon from F1 2025.

And Chandhok believes the initial Williams F1 2024 line-up was an error.

“I still don’t understand why they re-signed Sergeant for this year,” said Chandhok on the Sky F1 podcast.

His view was echoed by another F1 pundit in the form of ex-Renault driver Jolyon Palmer.

“Sargeant never should have stayed on,” Palmer claimed on the Chequered Flag podcast. “Colapinto had flashes of decency and scored some points.

“But even then, he was never going to be a long-term signing because they already had Sainz.

“So it was a strange appointment that filled the gap but also costs a lot of damage money as well.”

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Colapinto turned heads upon his F1 arrival, scoring five points in his first four races, impressing to the point of Red Bull, Racing Bulls and Alpine F1 2025 seat talk emerging.

But, Colapinto’s stock dropped after two heavy crashes in Brazil and a Las Vegas GP qualifying shunt measuring 50G, as he was ultimately left without a place on next season’s grid.

And Chandhok believes Williams could have simplified their F1 2024 driver situation by giving Aston Martin a call for Felipe Drugovich.

The Brazilian racer – who stormed to the 2022 Formula 2 title – has served as Aston Martin reserve since, unable to force his way onto the F1 grid.

“I personally could have looked at a scenario where they had maybe Felipe Drugovic, for example, or somebody like that, for a year,” said Chandhok.

However, Chandhok says Williams ultimately came out of the latest F1 ‘silly season’ as the big winner, with Sainz – who has four grand prix wins to his name with Ferrari – secured on a multi-year deal to partner Albon.

“In the end, Williams have had an absolute coup, haven’t they, getting Carlos Sainz,” Chandhok claimed, “so they are the big winners out of this whole driver market saga.

“They’ve got an amazing line-up for next year.

“I think Colapinto, there was a lot of hype and a lot of excitement, because he did a fantastic job early on. But obviously, one swallow doesn’t a summer make.”

Sargeant will return to racing in 2025 after agreeing a deal to race in the European Le Mans Series with IDEC Sport.

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