The 17-year-old Antonelli is heading into his first season of Formula 2 after a meteoric rise through the ranks, skipping Formula 3 after winning the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine in 2023.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has hinted that he is a candidate to replace the departing Lewis Hamilton by suggesting that the team could be "bold" in its choice.
Such a move would be a huge step for the teenager even if he has a stellar F2 season, and thus he has also been linked with Williams and an apprenticeship away from the spotlight similar to that undertaken by George Russell.
Vowles was closely involved in the Mercedes young driver programme and knows Antonelli well.
However, at Williams he has his own academy drivers to draw on, with Zak O’Sullivan and Franco Colapinto competing in F2 this year, and Macau Grand Prix winner Luke Browning in Formula 3.
As such it’s not a given that the Grove team would be willing to train a driver who ultimately belongs to another team, however good he is.
“From my perspective, I have no doubt that Kimi will be in F1,” said Vowles when asked by Autosport about Antonelli.
“He’s done incredibly well in his junior series. But that doesn't mean he'll be in Williams, necessarily.
“I believe in investing in youth. But I'll take people on merit into the organisation. I'm fortunate enough to have two juniors myself in F2, and one in F3.
Source: Autosport