Laban Sažnićkai

**Laban Sažnićkai** is a Serbian racing driver currently in the 2020 ACOC season competing with Scuderia Ferrari.

## **2017: Formula 2 beginnings**

Sažnićkai made his ACOC debut in Formula 2. He was signed on by Rapax, alongside Idde Weitz. Sažnićkai was also signed on by Mercedes as a test driver. Sažnićkai immediately impressed, as he scored a debut podium at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Laban could not hit the ground running though, as he went on the 3 next races without scoring points. The Belgian Grand Prix was the peak of Sažnićkai's career in Formula 2, as he took pole position ahead of the race, but ultimately lost the lead on the final lap to the Trident of Milka Singh. A P2 for the Serbian driver was enough to give him hope to contend for the championship in the last few rounds of the season, and a P4 at Monza got Laban into championship contention for the F2 title coming into the final round at Abu Dhabi. However, something would happen that would shift young Sažnićkai's career dramatically...

## **2017: Shock Mercedes call-up**

After the 2017 F1 Japanese Grand Prix, Mercedes driver Darabos Dániel was banned from the ACOC due to inappropriate comments. Reserve driver Sažnićkai got the call-up to Mercedes, and Laban made his Formula 1 debut at the 2017 F1 United States Grand Prix for Mercedes, alongside Jesper Johansson. Sažnićkai, as he does, performed well on debut and finished P4. Sažnićkai became one of the main contenders for the Mercedes seat in 2018, alongside other candidates like Alexander Arnold, Franco Gamba and Jozef Frederik Sütő. Ultimately Sažnićkai fell short of the seat, as he finished P6 at Portugal and crashed out at the final race at Abu Dhabi, and he failed to keep onto the seat.

## **2018: Full-time drive with Williams**

The Mercedes seat was given to Force India's Alexander Arnold for 2018, who was subsequently replaced at Force India by the now-banned Blake Moore, who left WIlliams. Sažnićkai was signed on to the Williams seat. Williams had a very strong season in 2017, so it was expected that Sažnićkai would be able to challenge for good points alongside teammate Jozef Frederik Sütő. 2018 proved to be a very uncompetitive year for Williams, as both Sažnićkai and Sütő struggled at the back of the field. Sažnićkai struggled to get to grips with the 2018 Williams, as he finished in last place, 4 and a half seconds off the man in P19, which was his teammate. Sažnićkai would finish no higher than P19 in the first three rounds of the championship, however his talent would finally shine through at the Spanish Grand Prix, where he qualified P11, and after hard-fought battles with multiple drivers, came home to secure P10, the first and only points for Williams in the 2018 season. Laban would continue strong, a P14 at Canada and a P11 at France as he kept out-"scoring" and outqualifying teammate Sütő. Over the next rounds, Sažnićkai would prove his consistency with two P14's, finishing no lower than fifteenth place until Belgium. The end of the season saw Sažnićkai unable to keep the same pace, as he finished around P16-P18 for the final rounds of the season. Despite a slow start, Sažnićkai was still able to prove his worth in the Williams, and looked set to have another team with the British team, however Laban's career took yet another dramatic turn...

## **2019: Surprise transfer to Renault**

Transfer rumours were brewing in the ACOC paddock for 2019, and Muhammad Patel was dropped by Red Bull in favor of young Croatian hotshot and 2017 F2 champion Tomas Mandic. People were rumouring Ruslan Protsiuk to take the Renault seat, however he announced his retirement at the end of 2018. Allegedly, Renault offered Haas driver Victor Albom, but to their surprise, the Dane declined the offer, and wanted to stay loyal to Haas. This, along with Lewis McIntyre going to Toro Rosso, and Franco Gamba going to McLaren, gave Sažnićkai the golden ticket to drive for Renault in 2019. Sažnićkai will be paired up with Vojta Kulasec. As a new chapter opened up in the Serbian's career, only time would tell how Sažnićkai will perform with the French team.

Laban Sažnićkai would do well with Renault, as his performances in the 2019 season showed. He began the season slowly, only scoring points in the season opener at Bahrain with a P8 finish and another P8 finish at the fourth round in Barcelona. However, he picked up his pace in the later rounds of the season from the British Grand Prix, to the final round at Brazil, scoring points in all races, with a record P3 podium finish at the Japanese Grand Prix which saw the Serbian claim his first career podium. In contrast, his more experienced teammate Vojta Kulasec scored only 19 points, while Laban ended up scoring 57 points. Although he moved to Ferrari for the 2020 ACOC season, his performance with Renault showed that he had the potential to succeed with a top team.

## **2020: From Enstone to Maranello**

After a successful 2019 season with Renault, Laban Sažnićkai was on the move once again, this time to Ferrari. Sažnićkai replaced Miran Evci, who retired from Formula 1, and was paired alongside former F2 rival Luca Farina. Ferrari was undergoing their first major lineup change as Dennis Graf moved to Red Bull from Ferrari after three seasons with the Italian team.

Although Ferrari was not as competitive as they were in 2019, which saw them go without a podium, Laban continued to score consistent points finishes throughout the season. As of the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix, Ferrari are P5 in the constructors' championship, with Sažnićkai in P9 in the drivers' championship on 46 points, and his teammate Luca Farina in P10 on 40 points.

Despite the challenges faced by Ferrari in 2020, Sažnićkai's performance with the team showed that he had the potential to succeed with a top team. His move to Ferrari marked another important chapter in his career as he continued to strive for success in the world of Formula 1.