ZANDVOORT – Logan Sargeant crashed heavily in practice for the Dutch Grand Prix on Saturday, leaving his car on fire with severe damage and causing him to miss qualifying.
Sargeant seemed to lose control of his Williams after putting one wheel onto the wet grass on the entry to a right-hand corner, before veering off to the left and spinning into a metal barrier.
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Sargeant was unhurt and walked away from the car as flames spread across the rear and smoke poured from the air intake.
The session, taking place in wet conditions, was red-flagged almost immediately before marshals extinguished the fire and loaded the car onto a truck.
Williams worked on the car and said the chassis “currently looks okay”. The team didn't have it ready for Sargeant to take part in qualifying, however. He is now set to start Sunday's race in last place.
“It was a small mistake with a big consequence, just touching the grass, and that was it,” Sargeant said. “Obviously, a big hit but I’m OK. There’s a lot to fix on the car so I feel for everyone working on it tonight to get it ready for tomorrow. All we can do is regroup, go again and try and have a good race.”
It's the latest in a series of crashes for F1's only American driver. Sargeant crashed at the Canadian Grand Prix in June and collided with Kevin Magnussen at the Miami Grand Prix in May. He also crashed in practice for the Japanese Grand Prix in April.
Sargeant is being replaced at Williams by Carlos Sainz Jr. for 2025.
The Dutch Grand Prix is Sunday.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing