James Vowles shares ‘very private’ details of Kimi Antonelli conversation with Toto Wolff

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Kimi Antonelli is in line to race for Mercedes in 2025 after Williams confirmed the signing of Carlos Sainz. With a move for Max Verstappen looking virtually impossible, Antonelli and Sainz were the last two contenders for the seat.

Williams’ announcement on Monday paves the way for Mercedes to unveil Antonelli. That news could arrive quickly, but Toto Wolff may prefer to bide his time.

The 17-year-old is part of the Mercedes driver academy, so Wolff doesn’t need to worry about him being snatched away by a rival suitor. And the pressure seems to have energised him in recent races.

After his boss started to express public doubts, Antonelli raised his game in Formula 2. He won his first race in the Silverstone Sprint, and then triumphed in the Feature Race in Hungary.

If Mercedes put a contract on the table and grant the Italian his ultimate objective for the season, then he may lose the fire that’s characterised his recent performances. Prema teammate Oliver Bearman, who’s already signed with Haas, is struggling this year.

There has been talk throughout the season that Antonelli could join the F1 grid even earlier than Bearman. Given the relationship between Mercedes and Williams, he’s been mooted as a potential early replacement for Logan Sargeant.

James Vowles raves about ‘good kid’ Kimi Antonelli

Mercedes have a long-term engine supply deal with Williams, which gives them a degree of influence at Grove. George Russell spent three years there at the start of his F1 career in a mutually beneficial arrangement.

What’s more, team principal James Vowles used to work as the head of strategy at Brackley. He himself played a part in Antonelli’s rise.

Speaking to Formu1a.uno, Vowles lifted the lid on a conversation with Wolff about Antonelli during the Belgian GP weekend. He marvelled at Antonelli’s move on Williams academy starlet Franco Colapinto in wet conditions at Eau Rouge.

However, he effectively ruled out a move for the teenager. He may be reluctant to take a driver for four months, training him up for another team without necessarily seeing the best of him.

“I’ll talk to you about something that’s very private, but I hope Toto doesn’t mind,” he said. “We were messaging yesterday during the F2 race. And for me, what Kimi did is bloody impressive. It was against Colapinto, our own driver here.

“He’s a good kid – but he’s 17. And answering your question, I’ll be proud of whatever he achieves, because I was part of his journey all the way up until the last few years. But I’m not sure that’s going to overlap with Williams.”

James Vowles has already dropped Logan Sargeant in Carlos Sainz statement

After Williams confirmed their line-up for 2025, the next question was what would happen for the remainder of 2024. Vowles had publicly stated that Sargeant was at risk of losing his seat mid-season.

While Alex Albon has had priority when it comes to Williams’ upgrades, the team would still have expected more from the American. He’s lost out to his teammate in every Grand Prix qualifying session, and every race both of them have finished.

However, Vowles has seemingly confirmed that Sargeant will see out the campaign. In his statement after the arrival of Sainz, he made reference to the 23-year-old’s enduring commitment in the races ahead.

That means Antonelli will have to wait until the start of next year, but this could be less disruptive to his development. Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle is looking forward to seeing the ‘incredible talent’ in action.