Shock F1 return suggested with wildcard Logan Sargeant replacement option

Former McLaren driver Stoffel Vandoorne should be in contention to replace Logan Sargeant at Williams for the rest of the F1 2024 season.

That is the view of Sky F1 commentator Harry Benjamin, who believes Vandoorne would be an effective temporary option for Williams ahead of Carlos Sainz ‘s arrival in F1 2025.

Williams F1 2024 wildcard suggested as Logan Sargeant replacement

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Williams are considering options to replace Sargeant, potentially as soon as this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza, after a heavy crash in final practice at Zandvoort last weekend ruled him out of Dutch GP qualifying.

PlanetF1.com revealed on Monday that Williams have opened negotiations with Red Bull over the loan signing of highly rated reserve driver Liam Lawson for the rest of F1 2024.

Lawson previously impressed in a five-race cameo for VCARB (then AlphaTauri) while standing in for the injured Daniel Ricciardo in mid-2023, scoring the team’s best result at that stage of the season by finishing ninth in Singapore.

With Red Bull’s driver situation fluid amid doubts over the futures of Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo, however, PlanetF1.com understands that a complication could emerge if Lawson is required by either Red Bull Racing or VCARB before the end of the season.

James Vowles, the Williams team principal, is believed to be only interested in a full-time switch for Lawson for the final nine races of F1 2024.

If Lawson is unavailable, it is understood that Williams could turn their attention to driver Mick Schumacher, with Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff telling media including PlanetF1.com following the Dutch Grand Prix that the reserve driver is free to join Williams.

Williams declined to comment when approached by PlanetF1.com.

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Vandoorne, meanwhile, was considered a star of the future after storming to the prestigious F2 (then GP2) title in 2015, but tumbled off the F1 grid at the end of 2018 after two challenging seasons alongside Fernando Alonso, the two-time World Champion, at McLaren-Honda.

Vandoorne’s final season alongside Alonso saw him whitewashed in the qualifying head-to-head battle, having been outqualified by his McLaren team-mate at all 21 races of 2018 with an average pace deficit of 0.392 seconds.

The Belgian, now 32, has carved out a successful career in alternative forms of motor racing, winning the Formula E championship with Mercedes in 2022.

He currently combines his duties in the all-electric category with a race seat in Peugeot’s World Endurance Championship operation, as well as serving as test and reserve driver to the Aston Martin F1 team.

Benjamin feels Vandoorne’s experience with fellow Mercedes engine customers Aston Martin could be valuable to Williams ahead of the final nine races of F1 2024, with the Grove-based outfit just nine points behind Alpine in the race for eighth place in the Constructors’ standings having introduced a major upgrade at Zandvoort.

Taking to Twitter, Benjamin wrote: “Why is Stoffel Vandoorne not being mentioned for the Williams seat till the rest of the year?

“Recent running in a modern car, Aston reserve using Merc PU. Wasn’t far off Alonso when they were team-mates…”

Williams are expected to make a quick decision in order to get Sargeant’s replacement in place in good time ahead of this weekend’s race at Monza, a venue where the team have scored points in each of the last three seasons.

Sargeant has already been left without a seat for the F1 2025 season after Williams announced last month that outgoing Ferrari driver and three-time F1 race winner Sainz will become Alex Albon’s new team-mate.

Sainz has signed a two-year contract until the end of the F1 2026 season “with options to extend” with his capture regarded as a major coup for Vowles, who has overseen an impressive turnaround since being appointed only the third team principal in Williams’ history in early 2023.

Sargeant has been linked with a move to US-based single-seater series IndyCar with Rene Rosin, the head of the incoming Prema team, confirming this summer that talks have been held with the 23-year-old.

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