The sorry sight of Floridian youngster Logan Sargeant trudging away from his burning Williams car last summer at the Dutch Grand Prix represented his final failed foray in Formula One. Quickly axed by team principal James Vowles, Sargeant lost his F1 seat after 36 races and one point. In doing so, a rare US presence among the 20-driver grid was no more.
Since Mario Andretti won the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix – the same year he claimed his sole F1 world championship, America’s only title to this day – no US driver has won a race. In fact, in the 47 years since, only Eddie Cheever in the 1980s has recorded more than one podium. Sargeant’s only point, awarded post-race in Austin in 2023, was America’s first point in the drivers’ standings since Mario’s son, Michael, finished third in Monza in 1994.
