Sargeant steps down from Genesis-backed sportscar seat

Former Formula 1 driver Logan Sargeant has withdrawn from his planned commitments with the Genesis-backed IDEC Sport team in the European Le Mans Series this year.

The French outfit announced on Tuesday that Sargeant was “stepping away from the sport to pursue further interests” and would be replaced by another driver in the coming days.

The American was due to race one of the team’s two ORECA 07-Gibson LMP2 cars in the top class of the ELMS in 2025 alongside three-time W Series champion Jamie Chadwick and 19-year-old Mathys Jaubert.

This was seen as a stepping stone to a potential LMDh drive with Hyundai’s luxury brand Genesis, which has partnered with IDEC for its entry into the World Endurance Championship in 2026 and the IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2027.

“IDEC SPORT and Genesis Magma Racing are taking note of his decision and will announce his substitute in the next few days,” a statement from the team read. “We wish Logan all the best in his future projects.”

Sargeant made his F1 debut with Williams in 2023 but was dropped by the team halfway through last season due to his poor form, with Franco Colapinto stepping into his seat.

In the 36 grands prix he started, Sargeant mustered a single point, courtesy of a 10th-place finish at his home event in Austin 2023, and was comprehensively outshone by team-mate Alex Albon.

A move to sportscar racing was seen as logical for the 24-year-old due to his prior experience in the discipline – he had contested two rounds in the ELMS in 2021 with TF Sport and made further appearances in the Le Mans Cup the same year aboard a Ferrari GT3.

Sargeant is yet to comment on his departure from IDEC Sport and his plans for the future. He had tested the team’s LMP2 car at Paul Ricard in November in preparation for the new season.

Genesis, which has partnered with Oreca for the design of its hybrid prototype, has only announced Andre Lotterer and Pipo Derani so far for its first top-flight spotscar programme.