Haas' Guenther Steiner Talks Prospect Of Adding Logan Sargeant To 'American Team'

We have yet to see American Logan Sargeant in a Formula 1 Grand Prix, but Haas team principal Guenther Steiner is there's already stoking about where the Williams driver could wind up down the line.

Steiner talked to Austin's KVUE about maybe adding Sargeant once he gets some experience.

He said that while the team is open to the prospect of putting an American driver on the only (current) American team grid, that driver would need to have some experience.

“Two years ago we had two rookies; last year, one inexperienced driver, and we as a team are still very young," Steiner said. "For us at the moment there is more performance to be gained for the team to make it better, to get ready, because at the moment there is no American driver with experience in F1.

"Therefore, we decided not to take an American again.”

Haas experienced some growing pains after using an all-rookie lineup in 2021. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Haas' Last Two Seasons Showed The Perils Of Unproven F1 Talent

You can understand why Haas was reluctant to go for a driver like Sargeant who doesn't have F1 experience just yet. In 2021, the team's lineup consisted of two rookies: Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher.

It was, to put it simply, a disaster.

Sure, the car was essentially the same room the season before as the team focused on developing their 2022 car. While that decision paid off, the growing pains with the two rookies were apparent.

It also didn't help that the two didn't see eye-to-eye and that Mazepin's oligarch father was constantly trying to get involved.

Again, as I said, it was a mess.

In 2022, Mazepin was replaced by veteran Kevin Magnussen and he regularly outperformed his sophomore teammate, Schumacher.

A strong season from Haas' Kevin Magnussen was probably reason enough to continue down the path of drivers with experience. Nico Hulkenberg is bringing nearly 200 starts to the team. (Getty Images)

Haas Needed To Go The Experienced Route

As it stands, Sargeant was the only American driver F1-ready. Colton Herta may have fit the bill, but do we have to go over the whole super license thing again?

So, given what the team has been through the last two seasons it shouldn't be a shock they opted for experience. They have Nico Hülkenberg in a car this year. He has 183 career starts. That's 183 more than Sageant has at this point.

But while Sargeant isn't in the team's plans for the immediate future, Steiner left the door hanging wide open for the Ft. Lauderdale-born driver.

"So hopefully it comes, because I wish that he experience and then once he has the experience, he comes to us, the American team. How about that?”

So, maybe we will see an experienced American on an American team in the next few years, Only problem is Haas may have some competition from another prospective American team.

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