Logan Sargeant was supposed to contest the 2025 European Le Mans Series season under the Genesis Magma Racing banner with IDEC Sport, with a view to later joining the Korean manufacturer's Hypercar programme. But, surprisingly, in mid-February, it was announced that the 24-year-old had decided to withdraw.
Since then, the former Williams Formula 1 driver had vanished from the paddocks - until Wednesday, when the announcement came of his arrival at the OGMM driver management structure headed up by Oliver Gavin, the former Corvette Racing factory driver and a well-known figure in the endurance racing paddock.
Just 24 hours later, news has broken that he will compete in the final two rounds of the IMSA SportsCar Championship LMP2 season.
Why did Sargeant turn down Genesis offer?
Truth be told, no one really knows the answer, except Sargeant himself.
At the time, IDEC Sport and Genesis Magma Racing stated that Sargeant had taken the decision to "step away from the sport to pursue other interests".
For a driver who had expressed an interest in endurance racing, this was surprising.
"Logan was very enthusiastic about getting back behind the wheel after his dismissal from F1," IDEC Sport team principal Nicolas Minassian pointed out at the time. "I think what happened motivated him even more. He was very competitive and integrated remarkably well."
Now that his return to racing has been officially announced, we can hope that more details will emerge and that Sargeant will finally speak out.
The American may have suffered from a sort of post-F1 slump and felt the need to step away from racing to spend time with his loved ones and recharge. That's at least what the few pictures he has posted on social media since February seem to suggest.
When will Sargeant race?
Just a day after Sargeant was unveiled as part of the OGMM stable, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports announced it had signed him for the final two rounds of the 2025 IMSA season.
Sargeant will race at Indianapolis (on September 21) and Petit Le Mans (at Road Atlanta, on October 11) in the team's #52 Oreca 07, alongside 2023 IndyCar driver Benjamin Pedersen and Naveen Rao.
The Indianapolis weekend will mark his first race appearance in more than a year, since he was dropped by Williams after the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix.
"Myself and all the crew here at PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports are very excited that Logan is able to join us for the last two endurance events of this season," said PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports co-owner Bobby Oergel.
"I am sure Logan's pace will be top-notch and everyone will work well together. We really want to welcome him into our team in a smooth and easy fashion. The opportunity to do some testing ahead of the Indy event should do just that."
Sargeant added: "I'm super excited to be jumping back into a car for the last two LMP2 races in IMSA with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports.
"It's a great opportunity to drive at two special tracks, Indianapolis and Road Atlanta, and help push for good results with my team-mates Ben and Naveen. I'm eager to contribute to a successful couple races for the team, and bring my knowledge and experience to everyone involved."
Alongside joining a four-time LMP2 title-winning team, Sargeant will also be reunited with a car he already knows. In addition to testing with IDEC Sport a few months ago, he also took part in two ELMS races in 2021 at the wheel of an Oreca 07, in parallel with his Formula 3 campaign.
The long-term goal
When OGMM announced his signing, it also explained what its new recruit was aiming for: "With a strong history of racing in single seaters and at still only 24, Logan is joining OGMM as he focuses on a future career in sportscars."
Yes, despite his surprising decision to turn down Genesis Magma Racing, a manufacturer capable of offering him an attractive, well-paid programme, Sargeant still intends to pursue a career in endurance racing.
And it goes without saying that a driver who finished fourth in Formula 2 in 2022 and has 36 F1 grands prix starts to his name won't settle for LMP2 forever.
Given what happened earlier this year, it's unlikely he will return to the Genesis Magma Racing fold. But considering the number of manufacturers now present in the top class of endurance racing, and with two prestigious brands - McLaren and Ford - set to join in 2027, perhaps Sargeant will be offered another chance.
Indeed, it would be surprising if Ford didn't try to attract an American driver. Now it's up to Sargeant to prove he's the right driver for the job.
