Williams want to replace Logan Sargeant with Mercedes junior Kimi Antonelli. But rather than waiting until 2025, they’re keen to make the change this season.
Few would have anticipated such a move at the start of the campaign. It wasn’t necessarily out of the question that Sargeant would lose his drive – team principal James Vowles told him he had to spring a ‘surprise’ to do so.
But Antonelli’s inexperience seemed to rule him out of the short-term picture. He’s only three rounds into his first-ever season in Formula 2.
Privately, though, Mercedes have been putting him through his paces in F1 machinery. They want to establish whether he’s ready to replace Lewis Hamilton next year.
Antonelli drove the 2022 Mercedes at Imola last week. He put up lap times similar to Hamilton on the first day of running, and then ‘surprised’ everyone with his pace on the medium tyres on day two.
This ‘stunning’ performance caused Williams to accelerate their interest. There’s little prospect of Antonelli being in the car for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, but he may not have to wait much longer.
Max Verstappen calls for change to FIA superlicence rules after Kimi Antonelli request
Initially, Williams were considering making a change at the Italian Grand Prix in late August/early September. That’s the first race scheduled after Antonelli’s 18th birthday.
FIA superlicence rules currently forbid drivers racing in Formula 1 until they reach that milestone. This was a change introduced after Max Verstappen made his debut for Toro Rosso in 2015 as a 17-year-old.
Williams have consequently had to apply for special dispensation to field Antonelli before Monza. But Verstappen doesn’t think this should be necessary because, in his eyes, talent is more important than age.
“Yes, that rule was of course created by me,” he told Racing News 365. “But in the end it does not stop what it is intended for. “It’s not specifically against him [Antonelli], but in some cases it can of course prevent talent from being kept in Formula 1.
“Look, if someone is seventeen or eighteen and he has twenty points, but he is very fast, why is he not allowed to enter Formula 1? They first have to get those 40 points together.
“I’m not a fan of that, that whole system, but ultimately the FIA has to think it’s okay. But I’d rather not have it.”
Who is Kimi Antonelli?
Antonelli has graduated to F2 for this season after winning four single-seater championships in the past two years. He bagged an Italian F4 and ADAC F4 double in 2022, and then won the Formula Regional championships in Europe and the Middle East in 2023.
His rise has generated huge excitement in the ranks of Mercedes. They apparently believe he can be as good as Max Verstappen or Charles Leclerc once he reaches F1.
It’s natural for the Silver Arrows to hype up a driver who may prove to be the crown jewel of their academy. But outsiders have also been hugely impressed.
Some F3 engineers told Karun Chandhok that he was the quickest junior they’d seen in an F3 car since Verstappen. Comparisons to a three-time world champion are bound to big pressure, but Antonelli certainly looks like one of the most exciting talents of his generation.
He’s made a steady start to life in F2 and will arrive in Imola next week ninth in the championship. However, he enjoyed his best weekend yet in Australia last time out, qualifying on the front row and then finishing fourth in the feature race.
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