Sargeant frustrated by lack of “respect” from rivals in qualifying

Sargeant was left frustrated despite a strong session

Logan Sargeant has alluded to a lack of respect from fellow Formula 1 drivers when trying to find a clear lap in qualifying.

The American had an eventful qualifying in Budapest, touching the barrier in Q1 after setting an impressive lap time early on but still getting through to the following session in 14^th place.

The red flag delay for Sergio Perez’s accident helped his Williams team complete repairs to the car, and Sargeant finished Q2 in 14^th, just 0.114s shy of team mate Alex Albon.

However he was left frustrated after by the amount of traffic he had to weave through on his lap, complaining to the team, “That thing’s a joke. Honestly, no one moves.”

After the session Sargeant made it clear that he felt there was more in the car.

“I think firstly really happy with my first lap, when it was spitting,” he said when asked by this writer about his session. “Not so happy with the next one.

“An exceptional job by the team to get the car turned around. And most importantly, it felt in perfect condition. I don’t know if it was exactly, but it definitely felt like it was.

“But disappointed with Q2 because I know we had more in it, and a lot more. We all know how to play the game. I had to go through about eight cars through the lap, and everyone waits a couple corners too long to get out of the way.

“I don’t personally do that, but it sets a precedent going forward. Maybe I need to start. People are going to ruin my lap, I’ll ruin theirs.”

Asked if there might be a lack of respect for him compared to other drivers he said: “It is a bit of respect. I think you see someone like Max, Lewis who have all the success, and you might treat them a little bit better.

“But I try to treat everyone the same. I’m just disappointed, because I’m disappointed for myself and everyone the team, because we’ve done a good job this weekend, we’ve had more in the car. It’s disappointing not to get everything out of it for something that’s not in mine or their control.”

Sargeant conceded that the timing of his run didn’t help.

“It’s always hard,” he said. “I mean, would there have been less traffic? That’s for sure. Would that have helped us?

“For sure, but at the same time, I’m sure the team was doing what they thought was best to give us the best chance, and I’m sure they didn’t expect people to do what they did.”

Despite his frustration Sargeant remains confident that he can have a strong race on Sunday.

“Felt good,” he said. “I think everything’s in the right direction. I think we made some changes that weren’t perfect for qualifying, but should help tomorrow, so I’m hoping that pays off.

“I just wish I could have seen what we really had in it in Q2 there. But I feel good, driving well.”