Sargeant Ends 30-Year Wait for US Driver to Score in F1 

Williams' US driver Logan Sargeant races during the 2023 United States Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on October 22, 2023. (AFP)
Williams' US driver Logan Sargeant races during the 2023 United States Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on October 22, 2023. (AFP)
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Sargeant Ends 30-Year Wait for US Driver to Score in F1 

Williams' US driver Logan Sargeant races during the 2023 United States Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on October 22, 2023. (AFP)
Williams' US driver Logan Sargeant races during the 2023 United States Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on October 22, 2023. (AFP)

Williams rookie Logan Sargeant celebrated a surprise first point in Formula One on Sunday, thanks to the disqualifications of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, and ended a 30-year wait for a US driver to score.

Sargeant was classified 10th at Austin's Circuit of the Americas after Mercedes' Hamilton was stripped of second place and Ferrari's Leclerc lost his sixth place when their cars failed post-race checks.

The last US driver before the 22-year-old Florida native to score in a grand prix was Michael Andretti with McLaren in 1993.

"It’s amazing to score my first point in F1 on home turf after the challenging weekend I’ve had," said Sargeant, who failed to finish the previous race in Qatar after suffering exhaustion in the heat.

"I’m so proud of this team and myself for the hard work and progress we’ve been making this season," added the rookie whose seat for next season is far from certain.

"We worked hard overnight to find a direction with the car that was going to be positive, and we found that...The pace was so much better today, and I was driving really well."

Williams also had Alex Albon finish in ninth place, with the team having two drivers in the top 10 for the first time since the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix.

The team are seventh out of 10 in the constructors' standings, 10 points clear of eighth-placed Alfa Romeo with four races remaining.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo, returning from injury at AlphaTauri, is now the only driver on the starting grid yet to score this season.



Premier League Rejects City Request to Delay Next Season’s Games after Club World Cup

Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Manchester City - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - September 28, 2024 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacts. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Manchester City - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - September 28, 2024 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacts. (Reuters)
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Premier League Rejects City Request to Delay Next Season’s Games after Club World Cup

Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Manchester City - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - September 28, 2024 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacts. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Manchester City - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - September 28, 2024 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacts. (Reuters)

The Premier League has rejected Manchester City's request to postpone the first two games of the 2025-26 season to help the players recover after their FIFA Club World Cup campaign in the US, the club's manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday.

City and Chelsea are the two English clubs who have qualified for the expanded month-long Club World Cup set to start on June 15. The Premier League's season will begin in August.

An increasingly packed football calendar has been a concern among a growing number of players and managers. A report by global players' union FIFPRO said some players get only 12% of the year to rest.

The Premier League did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.

City midfielder Rodri said in September that players could be close to strike action over the time they are required to play. A knee ligament injury has since put him out for the season.

"I don’t know if we will play more games than the treble year (2022-23)... maybe we'll play less games," Guardiola told reporters.

"The Premier League has not allowed us to postpone the first two games for our recovery. Thank you so much. They don't postpone these games so that will be the moment of, oh, what do we have to do?"

He said the Club World Cup will make it even more difficult for clubs to manage player workload.