Correct decision imo. Give rookies one season to settle in and one to prove themself. But he definitely needs to up the ante.
But did he really show any trend of improvement over the course of the season? I’m genuinenly asking, but it didn’t appear like it to me.
If there isn’t much of an indication he’s improving, why would anyone expect better results next year? It’s not like he’s going to have opportunity to improve his pace or consistency during the off-season.
I would say there was some improvement In the last third of season. He wasn’t crashing anymore and was consistent in the time difference (more or less) to albon as well.
On top of that, we just don’t see the data the team is seeing when it comes to an improvement.
One other thing to keep in mind. There is a supposedly very talented new driver starting in F2 next year that could drive for Williams in 2025, so that could play into the decision as well. Although I just looked for it and couldn’t find it. I think Alex Jaques talked abiut it in the last F2 sessions.
Kimi Antonelli?
He is skipping f3 completely, similar to Verstappen who skipped f2 and Raikkonen who skipped both. Whether Antonelli will make f1 following this obviously depends on his junior career and what happens in the driver market.
I would argue that with the cost cap and the restrictions on testing, it is extremely challenging for young drivers to break through. I’m personally impressed with Sargeant and applaud his resigning for next year. I could easily see him getting dropped however if his results to Albon don’t continue to improve.
He’s skipping FIA F3. He did win FRECA this year, which is a Formula 3 championship.
