F1 reserve driver compared to Lewis Hamilton ‘could be an option’ to replace Logan Sargeant at Williams

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Logan Sargeant could be on the brink of being released by Williams after his weekend to forget at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Amid the difficult conditions on Saturday morning during the final practice session, the American made a mistake exiting the Hungenholtz Bocht banked corner and destroyed his Williams FW46.

The incident caused Logan Sargeant to miss qualifying for the race after a fire broke out on the engine cover and caused further damage internally to the car.

After starting from the back of the grid, he could only manage as high as P16 in the race, capping off a miserable weekend for Williams.

In the aftermath of his crash, F1 paddock rumours went into overdrive over the prospect of Sargeant being replaced.

Liam Lawson and Mick Schumacher emerged as two candidates, but another F1 reserve driver might be on the shortlist, according to The Mirror.

Frederik Vesti ‘could be an option’ to replace Logan Sargeant

Frederik Vesti, who was runner-up in last year’s Formula 2 championship, is currently the reserve driver for Mercedes having been part of their junior driver programme.

While the Danish driver has not had any recent F1 experience in the form of testing or Friday practice sessions, he has been racing in this year’s European Le Mans Series.

According to the report, Vesti ‘could be an option’ for Williams if they chose to replace Sargeant before the end of the year.

Vesti’s ties to Mercedes and the fact that Williams has a technical partnership with the team could see it as a possibility if Mick Schumacher is not seen as a fit or Liam Lawson is unavailable.

Frederik Vesti compared to Lewis Hamilton

Although he did not particularly impress on his way to second in the F2 title race last year, having lost out to former Sauber prospect Theo Pourchaire, there was still praise for Vesti.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff felt it was unfortunate that the ‘really good’ Vesti was unable to secure a seat this season, having praised him for the job he did in the simulator and free practice sessions last year.

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

Vesti was also compared to Lewis Hamilton by Peter Windsor for having the same ability in the short corners as the seven-time World Champion, via PlanetF1.com.

As Williams faces increasing costs due to the crash damage incurred by Sargeant, the team will need to decide before it starts to impact their preparation for the rest of the season.