Logan Sargeant is fighting for his future at Williams – and not just for 2025. It’s unclear at this stage whether he’ll even be able to see out the season.
James Vowles told the American in the winter that he had to be the biggest ‘surprise’ of the year if he wanted to keep his seat. This was after a rookie campaign in which he scored one point to Alex Albon’s 27.
Williams have regressed, meaning points have been hard for either driver to come by. Indeed, it took until last weekend’s race in Monaco for Albon to notch their first top-10 finish.
But the problem for Sargeant is that he’s still struggling to reach the level of his teammate. He hasn’t beaten him in any Grand Prix qualifying session this year, nor has he had the edge in any of the races that both have finished.
As he tries to drag the team up the field, Vowles may feel hamstrung by the 23-year-old’s struggles. As such, he’s already begun looking into replacements.
Williams have enquired about fielding Mercedes junior Kimi Antonelli in an FP1 session prior to his 18th birthday in late August. This would give them the chance to assess him before potentially handing him a drive in the second half of the season, at the expense of Sargeant.
Mick Schumacher could also replace Logan Sargeant
But Antonelli isn’t the only contender if Williams decide to make a change midway through the campaign. According to Speedcafe, Mick Schumacher has also been ‘flagged’ as a potential replacement.
Schumacher spent two seasons with Haas in 2021 and 2022 before losing his drive to Nico Hulkenberg. He’s currently carrying out a ‘tremendous’ reserve role with Mercedes (so says Toto Wolff to Planet F1) alongside his World Endurance Championship commitments with Alpine.
Vowles could utilise Williams’ pre-existing relationship with Mercedes to field Schumacher. The Grove outfit use the German manufacturer’s engines and they reached an agreement to blood George Russell for three years (2019-2021) before he graduated to the top team.
Intriguingly, a half-season or so at Williams would apparently be an ‘audition’ for a potential Mercedes seat next year. Wolff is still yet to formally decide on his replacement for the Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton.
Alpine consider Schumacher amid Esteban Ocon controversy
While Schumacher may be inclined to walk away from his WEC campaign if an opportunity at the pinnacle of motorsport emerges, Alpine might have something to say about it. He’s impressed key figures including team principal Bruno Famin and Renault CEO Luca de Meo with his performances in the series.
That stood him in good stead for a 2025 Alpine seat even before the events of the Monaco Grand Prix. Esteban Ocon is now under threat of a one-race suspension after colliding with teammate Pierre Gasly at the start of the race.
While Alpine reserve Jack Doohan could be called up for the race in Canada, the long-term ramifications would be the bigger story. Ahead of the expiry of his contract, this could sever the connection between Ocon’s management and the French team.
Former F1 driver Timo Glock believes the ‘unrest’ at Enstone gives Schumacher a ‘great chance’ of returning to the grid. And Famin has publicly admitted that it would be a ‘mistake’ not to consider signing him.
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