Driver Academy report: Bahrain

Nicky and Alex weren't the only Williams Racing drivers that saw their season get underway at last weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix. Formula One's junior championships, Formula 2 and Formula 3, also revved into action at the Bahrain International Circuit – with Williams representatives competing in both. We will shine the spotlight on every one of our Williams Driver Academy members as their seasons unfold, with post-race recaps to keep you up-to-date. With Nicky and Lance Stroll already graduating into Formula One and scoring points and podiums, all of our five drivers know how valuable the Academy programme is.

Logan Sargeant Logan's long-awaited debut in FIA Formula 2 saw the young American take home points in both the Sprint Race and Feature Race, after a terrific qualifying performance that laid a solid foundation for his weekend. Logan lined up in seventh for the reverse grid Sprint Race before dropping a few positions in the opening laps, as he familiarised himself with F2 racing. However, the 21-year-old soon found his footing and began advancing through the field under the Sakhir night sky. By the time the chequered flag fell, Logan was one of the fastest drivers on track and was hunting down P5 before running out of laps.

A higher starting position in the Feature Race didn't initially yield any higher running for Logan, as a problematic start saw him drop to ninth place and needing to mount a recovery drive. Unfortunately, his Sunday didn't get any easier, as a slow pit stop lost the Carlin driver additional time. Undeterred, though, Logan battled through the order and made the most of a late safety car period to finish a respectable P7.

Roy's busy weekend of F2 action saw the Israeli leave Bahrain with points on the board after clinching P8 in Sunday's Feature Race. The Sprint Race could've been an entirely different story for the DAMS driver after Roy narrowly missed out on the reverse grid pole. His qualifying time was just 0.008s shy of P10, which would have seen his season start from the front row. Instead, it was a Saturday spent honing his racecraft in the midfield, starting in 11th and finishing 12th. Better fortunes awaited on Sunday, however, and Roy was able to harness all his F2 experience to keep in contention for an all-important top ten finish throughout the 31 lap race. His brave defence in the later stages proved vital in getting opening round points. Even with his tyre life fading, Roy kept his focus under pressure to walk away with a hard-earned P8.

Zak O’Sullivan Zak's debut on the Formula One weekend began from the front row, after an impressive first qualifying session that saw the Brit record a time good enough for 12th place and the reverse grid pole. In only his first race in FIA Formula 3 machinery, Zak led the way in the opening laps as he defended from the 29 cars chasing him down.Compatriot Oliver Bearman kept Zak company in the early stages and slipped past thanks to the DRS assistance into Turn 4. Although the race pace wasn't in the car compared to those around him, Zak finished a respectable P6 – worth five points – in Race 1.

Race 2 didn't go as well as the first of the weekend for Zak. An early-race safety car quickly followed by a virtual safety car disrupted proceedings – and although he kept out of trouble, it would be an 18th place finish by the end. Nevertheless, Zak was the lead driver of his Carlin team mates in every session over the weekend and will take everything he's learnt to Imola, when Formula 3 returns for Round 2 next month.