Logan Sargeant is racing on home soil in Miami this weekend. There may be three US races on the current calendar, but this one will mean more to the Florida native.
However, there’s a possibility that this could be his last race with Williams. The Grove outfit have reportedly asked the FIA for special dispensation to field Kimi Antonelli before his 18th birthday.
Mercedes junior driver Antonelli, currently racing in F2, won’t turn 18 until the end of August. There had been talk that he could replace Sargeant at the Italian Grand Prix at the start of September.
But subsequent reports claimed Williams could seek an exemption to the FIA’s superlicence rules to get the Italian in the car even earlier. And that’s exactly what they’ve now done.
The team have strongly denied that Antonelli will be in the car for the next race in Imola, but Sargeant’s days certainly look numbered. He’s in the final year of his deal, but it’s unclear whether Williams have an option to axe him mid-season without paying him off.
Sargeant has only scored one point since entering F1 at the start of last year. In the same period, teammate Alex Albon has delivered 27.
It’s taken him 14 months to beat the former Red Bull driver in a qualifying session. He started Saturday’s sprint in 19th, with Albon 20th after a track limits violation.
In truth, the writing has been on the wall for the 23-year-old since the Australian GP. Albon broke one of the team’s two available chassis, so team boss James Vowles allowed him to race Sargwant’s car.
Jenson Button reacts to Logan Sargeant and Kimi Antonelli rumours
Speaking live on Sky Sports F1 ahead of the sprint race, Jenson Button offered his response to the talk around Antonelli. Button has been acting as a senior adviser to the team since January 2021, having started his career there back in 2000.
The 2009 world champion has shut down any suggestion that this will be Sargeant’s farewell. In fact, he predicted that he’ll see out the remainder of the season.
But he did also admit that the team ‘would love’ to see stronger performances from the youngster. Although he did make the case that Williams hadn’t necessarily given him the tools to thrive.
Asked if he thought there was any truth in the rumours, he said: “No, I don’t. I think Logan will be here for the rest of the year.
“Obviously, we all would love to see Logan being more competitive. The package needs to be better. Williams understand that.
“They need to improve. They’ve been going through a big change over the last couple of years and we haven’t seen the performances I think they’ve really deserved this year.”
Who else could drive for Williams next year?
Vowles is clearly a big admirer of Antonelli, but it’s not guaranteed that he’ll be in the car. The FIA would need to bend their own rules to make it happen this year, and Mercedes will also need to offer their approval.
While Toto Wolff will want to test the young talent, who’s privately viewed as the next Charles Leclerc, he won’t want to rush his development. And if Vowles insists on a multi-year deal, there could be a disagreement.
That’s because Antonelli is a ‘contender’ to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes next season. The timelines will have to sync up for this one to happen.
And if they don’t, Williams have other options in mind. They’re also in talks with Valtteri Bottas, who previously drove for them between 2013 and 2016.
Bottas could lose his seat at Sauber after they signed Nico Hulkenberg for next year. He would be a known quantity with real pedigree after winning 10 races at Mercedes.
Perhaps the dream for Vowles would be to hire Carlos Sainz. Williams have held talks with his entourage, but signing him might be a bridge too far.
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