Logan Sargeant Involved In Scary Fiery Crash That Red Flags Practice

In a scary incident at the Dutch Grand Prix, American Formula 1 driver Logan Sargeant was involved in a fiery crash during the wet third practice session at the Zandvoort Circuit. The accident, which happened early in the session where Sargeant had set the fourth-fastest time, led to an immediate red flag, bringing FP3 to an almost close.

The loss of control started in Turn 3 when the driver ran wide up the highly banked turn. Hitting the kerbs on the exit and shortly after that the wet grass, he pushed on the throttle, spinning his rear wheels and causing the car to go into a spin.

He hit the barriers with the front and rear of his car, bouncing back into the middle of the track where his Williams FW46 came to a stop before the rear of the car set on fire.

Mercedes’ George Russell drove past slowly, assessing the driver and the flaming wreckage as he indicated to Sargeant to get out of the car.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and RB’s Daniel Ricciardo did the same as they drove past the crash site, navigating around the bits of metal and carbon fiber thrown across the tarmac so as to not receive a puncture.

Marshals were quickly on the scene, extinguishing the fire and towing the car back to the pits where it awaits a hefty amount of repair work. Sargeant was unhurt and safely pulled himself from the car. He was later sent to the medical center for a health check.

With the amount of damage done to the car, it’s highly unlikely the Grove outfit will see their American driver take part in qualifying later today. As James Vowles explained, they will also have to strategically choose which parts they replace like for like, and which they replace with older parts – a choice that could save their lead driver Alex Albon if he sees any damage later in the weekend.

The FP3 session at Zandvoort was further complicated by other incidents, including Nico Hulkenberg damaging his front wing at Turn 11 and his teammate Kevin Magnussen also having a close call in the same turn. Additionally, Russell left the track early on at Turn 1 but managed to avoid anything serious.

2024 has been a tumultuous season for Logan Sargeant, with performances fluctuating and several races ending in non-finishes. It has since been confirmed that he will leave the Williams team at the end of 2024, with him being replaced by current Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, who will line up beside Alex Albon in what looks to be a talented driver lineup.

We now wait for Qualifying to begin later today.