Williams asks FIA for special dispensation for Antonelli
Williams has asked the FIA to provide special dispensation to allow Mercedes junior driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli to race before he turns 18.
Antonelli’s junior championship victories have ensured he has earned the required 40 points to qualify for a Super License, but the regulations also state that a driver must be 18 years old to race in Formula 1. The Italian is in his rookie Formula 2 season, but after two impressive F1 tests – the first in the 2021 Mercedes at Red Bull Ring, and the second in the 2022 W13 at Imola – interest has increased around a potential step up to F1.
RACER understands that a request to the FIA to provide Antonelli with an exemption from the minimum age limit has been instigated by Williams team principal James Vowles rather than Mercedes, calling into question Logan Sargeant’s immediate future with the team.
Antonelli turns 18 on 25 August, meaning any dispensation would be required for the races up to and including the Dutch Grand Prix, but if it is not granted then he would be free to race in F1 from Monza onwards.
Despite the request, Vowles insists Sargeant has the ability to retain his seat based on his performances.
“Let’s put it this way, I haven’t spoken to Kimi since Abu Dhabi last year,” Vowles said. “I hope that puts it into context, I know nothing about what’s going on in Mercedes tests right now. We are looking, as everyone else is, for where we want to be on driver line-up for next year and we have our own young driver program.
“In the case of Kimi I can’t really adjudicate the level he’s at. In case of him coming into the car this year, I’ve always said from the beginning it’s a meritocracy, Logan has to earn his seat, and at the moment he has some tough targets where he has to get much closer to Alex [Albon]. But there is nothing on the radar at the moment for replacing him.”
Relating to the request, the FIA says it has been received but that there is a process to be followed and multiple different stakeholders are required to vote and agree to it as it requires a rule change.
Vowles also confirmed to F1 TV that there would be no move to put Antontelli in the car at the next round in Imola, saying his focus is on improve the car’s performance to try and hold onto Albon.
“There was a rumor 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.”
