Has there been an American F1 driver before? US history in Formula 1 as Logan Sargeant joins grid
Logan Sargeant will make history this Formula 1 season, becoming the first American to drive in the series since 2015.
The 22-year-old will line up for Williams this year as he looks to build on his strong Formula Two season.
With F1 rapidly expanding into the United States, his entry into the championship is a significant moment.
The sports news takes a look at the history of American drivers in the sport.
MORE: Who is Logan Sargeant? Young star prepares for debut season
Who Was the Last American F1 Driver?
It has been seven full seasons since an American driver has featured on the F1 grid.
That was Alexander Rossi in 2015, who made five race starts as reserve driver for the now defunct Marussia F1.
The Californian product bided its time before earning its first racing start, spending two years with Caterham (2012-14) as a backup.
He made his F1 debut at the 2015 Singapore Grand Prix, replacing Roberto Merhi and finishing last on the grid to a respectable P14.
The aptly named ScottSpeed was the last American to drive a full season in Formula 1.
He achieved the feat in 2006 with Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) after going through the Red Bull youth system.
Speed had a solid debut season, but he was replaced by Sebastian Vettel midway through the following year as results faded.
How many Americans have raced in Formula 1?
Stats about Americans in Formula 1 are pretty convoluted…
Officially, 157 drivers from the USA have competed in at least one F1 race.
However, the majority of these drivers only competed in the Indianapolis 500, which was part of the F1 World Championship in the 1950s.
That leaves a total 56 American drivers who have competed in other F1 races.
Of these competitors, only two have won the Drivers’ Championship – Mario Andretti (1978) and Phil Hill (1961).
Andretti is the most successful American to ever drive in Formula One, taking home 12 race wins and eight poles in his 14 seasons in the sport.
Hill became the first driver from the United States to claim the Drivers’ Championship by claiming three race wins in eight seasons.
Who was the last American F1 race winner?
Mario Andretti is not only the last American to win the drivers’ championship, but also the youngest driver from the United States to win an F1 race.
He emerged victorious at the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix – winning the championship that same year.
Andretti grabbed a comfortable win, finishing 1-2 with his Lotus teammate Ronnie Peterson.
Who is Logan Sargeant? Career highlights and advancement
Sargeant, who is from Florida, started karting at the age of eight and has competed nationally and internationally.
He made his single-seater debut in the 2016 UAE Formula 4 Championship with Team Motopark and has taken 15 podiums in 18 races this season.
An F3 debut followed in 2019, winning his first race at Silverstone before adding a second at Spa.
Despite his progress on the race track, he had to abandon his switch to Formula 2 in 2021 for financial reasons and switch back to Formula 3.
Ultimately, however, things worked out for the young American, who raced twice in F2 at the end of the 2021 season before securing a full-time seat at Carlin for the following season.
Sargeant became the first American driver to complete an F2 race following his win in Austria in 2022, leading to Williams making the call to bring him to F1 for 2023.