The accident of Logan Sargeant caused by a failure
The American was forced to retire during this Grand Prix of the Netherlands. On the 15th lap, he went off track at turn 8 and ended his race in the wall. An accident caused by a hydraulic issue.
He will have gone through all of the emotions. From joy to disappointment and even sadness. The start of Logan Sargeant’s weekend was very good, even though he was behind his teammate, Alex Albon. The American managed to reach Q3 for the first time. A sign that he is making progress behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car.
But this excessive enthusiasm sent him into the wall during his second Q3 lap. With slick tires, he hit a patch of wet tarmac, which caused him to go off track.
The next day, on the 15th lap, the Williams driver went off track again at turn 8. Immediately, he radioed in to explain that he had felt a problem with his car. A version that is confirmed by James Vowles, the director of Williams.
More power steering
« There is a bumpy area on the track, and he rolled over this bump several times. This was not the first time during the race, we found at least three or four instances before that. He also rolled over it on Friday. At that specific spot, there is a significant force spike through the floor, which leads to a situation where as soon as he hits it, we lose all hydraulic pressure », explains the former engineer from Mercedes.
« When you lose hydraulic pressure in an F1 car, you have no power steering [assistance], or anything else for that matter. So he couldn’t have realized it in a matter of milliseconds. But these are not the same circumstances [as in qualifying]. We need to understand that from our perspective. »
For long minutes, the driver remained helmeted, visibly downhearted by this accident. He knows that his seat is in jeopardy for the next season.
