#Logan #Sargeant #goodbye #Miami
04/05/2024 and las 21:59 CEST
The FIA has confirmed in Miami that it has received the request from Mercedes so that Andrea Kimi Antonelli can advance his debut in the Formula 1 despite not having yet reached the minimum age required for the category: 18 years. The young and talented Italian driver turns 25 on August 25, but he has already completed several tests in recent weeks with a Mercedes from previous seasons and there is speculation that Toto Wolff wants to make his debut at Imola with Williams, which would mean goodbye to Logan Sargeant.
The American has not had the expected results, he still has not scored any points this year and his position on the grid has been in question since last season, so the Miami Grand Prix could be his farewell to F1 if the rumors are confirmed.
Antonelli already has the Super License to drive in F1 because he has the necessary 40 after his successes in the Italian Formula 4, Middle East Regional Formula and European Regional Formula championships.
“We have received this request and we are studying it. But there is a process to follow and multiple people-commissions are required to vote and agree, as it requires a change of rules,” the FIA explained in a statement.
Antonelli He is still very ‘green’ to occupy the seat he will leave vacant Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes at the end of the year, after signing for Ferrarialthough Toto Wolff does not definitively rule it out, while considering other more expensive market options including Max Verstappen o Carlos Sainz. The idea of the head of the silver arrows is that the Italian, currently in F2, can ‘get started’ first in a client team like Williams, without so much pressure.
“Logan has to earn his seat and, at the moment, he has some difficult objectives in which he has to get much closer to Alex Albon. But at the moment there is nothing on the radar to replace him,” says Williams boss James Vowles, denying this end. If the response from the FIA is that Antonelli can debut before the summer break of F1, he will have to be attentive to the next move.
