Williams Team Principal James Vowles has denied building speculation that Andrea Kimi Antonelli could be in line to make his Formula 1 debut with Williams at Imola.
It emerged on Friday that the FIA has received an application asking for Antonelli to be given an exemption to allow him to compete in F1 prior to turning 18 in August.
Antonelli’s triumphs in the feeder series mean he has the requisite 40 points to be eligible for an FIA Super License, but his current age contravenes the F1 regulation.
The Italian, who is competing in his debut term in Formula 2, has conducted F1 test outings with Mercedes in the 2021 car in Austria and also the 2022 W13 at Imola.
According to RACER, the plea to the FIA hasn’t come from the marque but rather from Vowles, who could be seeking to replace the underperforming Logan Sargeant.
As it stands, Antonelli would be permitted to race in F1 from the Italian Grand Prix in September, but a dispensation from the minimum age limit could accelerate that.
However, Vowles, who worked at Mercedes ahead of his Williams move last term, has quashed rumours that Sargeant could be making his final appearance in Miami.
“There was a rumour going around that he’ll be in the car from Imola – he won’t be in the car for Imola,” Vowles said.
“What we’re doing at the moment is evaluating drivers for ’26 and ’25, and what we really want is the right driver pairing for those two years, as when you go through a regulation change you don’t want to be changing drivers, so you’re looking for the right pairing for that period of time.
“There’s no doubt that he’s got huge skill to him, but he was in an F4 car 20 months ago – that’s where he is.
“It’s a very different proposition to most. We’ve been talking to four or five drivers at the moment for that period of time. I’m quite happy to sit back a little bit and wait.
“More so than that, I have a duty and responsibility to make this car faster first, because Alex is a championship-level driver.
“We’ve got to provide the right car for him to be behind him and we haven’t yet, and then that typically unlocks other possibilities in the future.”
The FIA has responded to the request with the admission that it has been received but that a process involving a stakeholders’ vote has to be respected in this case.
Antonelli has been touted as a plausible option for the vacant Mercedes drive that Lewis Hamilton is vacating when he completes a switch to Ferrari from next term.
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