Dutch Grand Prix paddock rumours suggest two drivers ‘offered’ to Williams to replace Logan Sargeant

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Conditions have been difficult, to say the least at Zandvoort all weekend with torrential rain and gusting winds making life very difficult for the Formula 1 field.

Nearly every driver on the grid has missed the first corner at some point during practice or qualifying with judging braking points next to impossible at times.

However, when the red flag came out during the final practice session, it was a flaming Williams car that was the culprit.

Logan Sargeant had run wide coming out of the infamous Hugenholtz Bocht banked corner and after dipping a wheel onto the grass, there was no way he was going to wrestle back control of the car.

It ended in a huge crash that caused FP3 to be severely disrupted, with only one run possible for the rest of the field once the session went live once again.

Williams’s team principal James Vowles failed to guarantee Sargeant’s place on the grid for the rest of the season during the summer break.

The American was told he needed to improve his performances despite already losing his race seat in 2025 to see out the campaign and this will do him no good whatsoever.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes relationship

A report from Speedweek written by experienced journalist Mathias Brunner has shared what’s being talked about in the Zandvoort paddock after the incident.

He believes that two drivers have potentially been offered to Williams if they’d like to replace Sargeant ahead of next weekend’s race at Monza.

One of those drivers is Kimi Antonelli and the Italian Grand Prix would be a fitting place for the 18-year-old to begin his F1 career.

The other name is Mick Schumacher and after two seasons on the grid with Haas, the German has sufficient experience to jump straight into Sargeant’s seat even if there’s no guarantee of a 2025 drive at the end of it.

READ MORE: Who is Mercedes academy driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli? Everything to know

Kimi Antonelli and Mick Schumacher ‘offered’ to Williams to replace Logan Sargeant

In his report, Brunner suggests that ‘rumours are circulating’ in the paddock at the Dutch Grand Prix about Sargeant’s 2024 race seat.

He believes that ‘nobody would be surprised’ if the American was moved aside at some point before the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

He admits that the ‘wildest’ rumour he’s hearing is that Sargeant could lose his seat ahead of next weekend’s race in Monza.

The two drivers being ‘offered’ to Williams are Schumacher and Antonelli which doesn’t come as a surprise given the relationship between Mercedes and Vowles’s team.

READ MORE: Who is F1 reserve and Alpine WEC star Mick Schumacher? Everything to know

Kimi Antonelli set to take part in the Italian Grand Prix regardless of Williams seat

Even if Williams don’t take the most drastic action after the Dutch Grand Prix and replace Sargeant, Mercedes’s prodigy is expected to take part in next weekend’s event.

Antonelli is set to take part in FP1 at Monza in Lewis Hamilton’s car to get his first taste of action during a race weekend.

There’s a chance Antonelli is announced as Hamilton’s replacement that weekend as well with a move for Max Verstappen ruled out by Toto Wolff at this stage.

Giving Antonelli some experience in the Williams for the rest of the season may be very wise to avoid too much hype building up around his debut in Australia in 2025.

For Schumacher, he’ll be hoping if he does step into Sargeant’s car that he can do enough to convince Audi to take a punt on him for next season.

It’s the only available seat that the 25-year-old is in contention for with Nico Hulkenberg yet to know the identity of his latest teammate.