The FIA received a request to make an exception for Andrea Kimi Antonelli and allow the young Italian to compete in Formula 1 before he turns 18, and we discussed that.
According to Racer, a request has been sent by Williams to the federation, which first of all reaffirms the British team’s interest in the promising driver, who will not formally receive the right to a super license until August 25, when he celebrates his next birthday . birthday; Secondly, Logan Sargent’s future prospects in Formula 1 are highly questionable.
If the FIA agrees to meet Williams halfway, Antonelli could theoretically take the American’s place from the Imola stage; if the request is rejected, then from the Italian Grand Prix of Monza in September. However, James Vowles is in no hurry to admit this and makes it clear that Sargent still has a chance to stay in the team.
“Let’s just say the last time I spoke to Kimi was last year in Abu Dhabi,” said the head of Williams Racing. “I hope that this fact will allow us to better understand the context, and I know nothing about what happens in the tests that Mercedes organizes for him.
Like everyone else, we are figuring out how we would like the composition of the team to be next year, and we have our own program for training young riders. In Kimi’s case, I can’t judge at what level he really is.
As for his prospects of getting behind the wheel this year, I have said from the start that it still has to be earned. Logan also has to prove himself worthy of a place in our team, and right now he faces a difficult task as he has to significantly overtake Alex Albon. However, we currently have no plans to replace it.
There are rumors that Kimi will already drive our car in Imola – no, he will not drive a Williams car in Imola. But we are now assessing the candidates for the team for 2025 and 2026, and we really want this to be a worthy driver duo, because if the regulations change in the championship, it is undesirable to change the composition during this period, so you have to to make the right choice in advance.
There is no doubt that Antonelli’s driving skills are at a very high level, but we are negotiating with four or five drivers and for the time being I can well afford to adopt a wait-and-see attitude.
Moreover, my first responsibility is to make our car faster, because Alex Albon is a driver capable of fighting for victory in the championship. We have to give him a good car, but we haven’t managed to do that yet. But once this happens, as a rule, some additional opportunities arise regarding the future.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
