Despite American Setbacks, Logan Sargeant in the Same Hall of Fame as Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen

The journey of F1 drivers is often talked about throughout their car racing careers. As soon as young drivers make waves in the feeder series to F1; they get more recognition. Though, the roots of every F1 driver go back to their karting days and how they showed the first signs of being a world champion. F1’s latest rookie Logan Sargeant also has a similar journey in getting to the top category of motorsport. Despite the American driver facing some setbacks; Sargeant falls on the same pedestal as some former Karting World champions on the 2023 grid.

Logan, a Williams F1 driver now, competed in the European karting circuit back in the early 2010s. Sargeant fell short of winning the WSK Euro Series, a major karting championship. Nevertheless, he redeemed himself to become a Karting World champion in the Junior category (KFJ) in 2015.

This put Logan in the same hall of fame as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Hamilton won the Formula A World Cup back in 2000 equivalent to the KF1 category of today. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen had fallen short in the KF2 and KF3 World Cups in 2010 and 2012. But, he too redeemed himself like Sargeant by both KF and KZ category Karting world championships in 2013.

Both Max and Lewis had made a lot of waves on the karting scene by winning several European and junior competitions during their time. Logan has followed suit in the US and across the Atlantic as well.

Read More: Karting Taught Daniel Ricciardo a Crucial Lesson – And It’s As Simple as Three Words

Although, these 3 drivers are not the only Karting world champions on the 2023 grid. Besides, there are 5 other drivers who made heads turn during their karting days.

Besides Logan Sargeant, who else is a Karting World Champion on the 2023 F1 Grid?

Like Logan Sargeant, Fernando Alonso is another Junior Karting World champion. Back in 1996, Alonso won the Five Continents World Cup, equivalent to the KFJ category today. Alonso had been a star in Spanish and European karting competitions, showing his talent.

Fast forward to the year 2010, two of the current F1 drivers won Karting World championships in different categories. Alex Albon won the KF3 category while Nyck De Vries won the KF1 category. Though De Vries did not stop there as he defended his title in 2011 as well, making him a 2-time karting world champion in KF1.

2011 also saw the rise of Charles Leclerc who rose the ranks to become the Golden Boy of Ferrari. He won the KF3 category championship that year, succeeding Albon. Eventually, Leclerc has been consistently tussling with De Vries and Albon in his further racing career too. He lost the 2016 GP3 title to the Dutchman but beat the Thai driver a year later in Formula 2.

The last name on this list is Lando Norris. Winning the Karting World Championship in the KF category in 2014, Norris was spectacular to showcase his talent. Lando was on a streak in 2013-14, winning many major competitions including the KFJ championship as well.

WATCH THIS STORY: Logan Sargeant picks All-time American racing hero as his Inspiration

All these drivers have proven their skills in F1 since these old glory days. Alongside De Vries, Logan Sargeant will be looking to make an impact and validate his credentials and talent at the top level of motorsport. Do you think Sargeant can thrive well in F1?