Toto Wolff shares whether Kimi Antonelli could replace Logan Sargeant at Williams this season

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It’s been a weekend to forget at the Dutch Grand Prix for Williams and Logan Sargeant in particular.

Miserable conditions during practice made it difficult for Williams to accurately test the raft of updates they brought to Zandvoort.

Williams haven’t benefitted from as many update packages as their rivals throughout the year and have been behind on production since pre-season.

Logan Sargeant only made things worse when he completely destroyed his car in a blazing crash during the final practice session.

His teammate Alex Albon showed what the car was capable of by making it into Q3 before being disqualified for having a floor that didn’t fit the FIA’s dimensions.

READ MORE: Alex Albon’s one-word reaction to discovering he was disqualified from Dutch GP qualifying

Team principal James Vowles admitted the error was a matter of millimetres but that potentially cost Albon his third points finish of the season.

Sargeant’s future has been speculated about a lot over the race weekend and speaking to Sky Sports F1, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was asked about the situation.

One of the drivers linked with replacing Sargeant before the end of the season was Kimi Antonelli.

Wolff confirmed that Antonelli ‘definitely’ won’t be stepping into the American’s seat but did give a positive update for the 18-year-old to look forward to the next race at Monza.

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

Toto Wolff confirms Kimi Antonelli’s FP1 plans but no intention of replacing Logan Sargeant at Williams

Vowles admitted during the summer break that Sargeant’s immediate future isn’t guaranteed and his mistake during the Dutch Grand Prix weekend hasn’t done him any favours.

Wolff was asked about whether Antonelli could potentially replace Sargeant this year, and he said: “Yeah, that’s not going to happen.

“We [will] put Kimi in FP1 on Friday, that’s definitely [going to happen] and continue our program as planned.”

It’s an exciting development for Antonelli who is expected to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2025.

The Italian has taken part in an extensive testing program throughout the year behind the scenes and Mercedes don’t appear to want to disrupt that with an early Formula 1 debut.

George Russell had to respond to claims that Antonelli had matched his times in his testing outings such is the hype around his future.

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

Who could replace Logan Sargeant if Williams decide to drop the American?

There are plenty of drivers who would love an opportunity to race in Formula 1 until the end of the season even if there was no guarantee of a race seat at the end of the year.

Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon will be Williams’s line-up in 2025 no matter how well Sargeant or any potential replacement performs during the final nine race weekends.

Helmut Marko refused to rule out Liam Lawson potentially stepping into the seat for the rest of the year.

There’s been a suggestion that Mick Schumacher could be offered to Williams as he looks for a way to return to F1.

Meanwhile, two drivers would cancel their contract to replace Sargeant although they’re seen as outside bets currently.

The short turnaround between Zandvoort and Monza makes an immediate switch difficult, but Williams will be wondering just how long they can persist with the only driver outside of Sauber who hasn’t scored a point this season.