It appears very unlikely that Logan Sargeant will remain in Formula 1 beyond 2024 - and he could leave Williams even earlier.
One rumour is that Toto Wolff’s teenage protege Kimi Antonelli could replace the struggling American from Monza - and another rumour is that Valtteri Bottas may already have signed to be Alex Albon’s new teammate for 2025.
Williams boss James Vowles is no longer hiding that Sargeant, 23, is currently racing for survival.
"He’s on the ropes. His cockpit is in danger," he told Sky Deutschland after the grand prix at Imola. "He has to deliver.
"I’m helping him on this journey because I want him to be successful. But in the meantime, we’re also talking to other drivers because we have to have our lineup ready for 2025, 2026, 2027.
"There will be news on that in a few weeks."
Vowles insists that Sargeant will not hear about his endangered seat via the media.
"We had a frank conversation and it’s very difficult to do that," he admitted.
Former F1 driver Timo Glock says he can "well imagine" that Sargeant’s Formula 1 adventure will end sooner rather than later.
"There was no way in which he stood out over the weekend," he added.