American F1 driver Logan Sargeant escaped unharmed after losing control of his car during practice at the Dutch Grand Prix Saturday, as it crashed into a wall, crumpled on impact and burst into flames.
Sargeant sat in the car for a moment afterwards, saying “I’m good” over the team radio before his race engineer told him to jump out, noticing flames in the rear end of the car.
The Williams Racing driver vaulted out the smoking car and walked towards the side of the track, while the rest of the session was red flagged. Sargeant’s team confirmed that he was unharmed but that they were unable to repair his car in time for him to participate in qualifying.
“The team will continue to repair and build his car in preparation for race day,” Williams Racing added in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Sargeant jumped out the car and escaped unharmed. Peter Dejong/AP
Sargeant, who is yet to score a point this season, was racing at his first Grand Prix since Williams announced that he will be replaced by Spaniard Carlos Sainz next year.
He joined the team at the beginning of the 2023 season and became the first American in 30 years to score points in an F1 race when he finished in 10th place at the United States Grand Prix.
In qualifying, Lando Norris recorded the fastest time to ensure that he will start on pole on Sunday, ahead of Max Verstappen in second and Oscar Piastri in third. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, went out in the second round and will start from 12th on the grid.
Source: edition.cnn.com