Toto Wolff praises Mercedes junior Frederik Vesti, but is unlikely to be able to offer him a Formula 1 cockpit for 2024 – there is generally a “blockade” for young drivers
According to the current status, there will be no rookie in the 2024 Formula 1 season. 19 of the 20 current drivers will continue to drive in the premier class next year, only Logan Sargeant has not yet been confirmed by Williams for 2024
This is of course bad news for young drivers in particular who are looking for a Formula 1 cockpit. In the first practice session in Abu Dhabi on Friday, there were ten Friday testers in FT1, five of whom were from the current Formula 2 field.
As things stand, however, none of them will be driving in Formula 1 in 2024. “It’s regrettable. If you look at some of the guys who have driven in FT1, there are some who would have deserved to be in a Formula 1 car,” emphasized Toto Wolff on Sky.
At the moment, however, there is “a bit of a blockade” with regard to the 20 Formula 1 cockpits. This also affects Mercedes itself, where Junior Frederik Vesti was on the grid in FT1 on Friday. “Frederik is great,” emphasizes Team Principal Wolff.
“He has had a very good season and he is reliable. We had him in the simulator and he did a really good job. He did what we asked of him in training and he’s a really good guy,” he explains.
However, Mercedes does not appear to be able to offer Vesti a Formula 1 cockpit for 2024. The Dane has already been linked with the only remaining vacant cockpit at Williams, because a Mercedes junior, George Russell, has driven there before
Wolff makes it clear in this context, however, that he had no influence on the decision of Williams team boss James Vowles. “When I was at Williams twelve or 13 years ago, I always wanted Frank [Williams] and I to make our own decisions about the drivers,” he reveals.
“So I’ve always respected that. We’ve never had an engine contract that would have allowed us to put another driver in the car. It is James’ authority to decide what is good for him,” the Austrian clarifies.
Should Williams confirm Sargeant as a driver for next year, the Formula 1 driver line-up at the start of the 2024 season would continue to look exactly the same as it does now
