Credits: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire and IMAGO / PanoramiC |
L: Logan Sargeant R: Franco Colapinto
After days of speculation, Williams have finally relieved Logan Sargeant of his F1 duties. This decision comes in light of the American driver’s massive crash during FP3 at the 2024 Dutch GP. In his place, Williams Academy and F2 driver, Franco Colapinto has been drafted in as Alex Albon’s teammate for the remainder of the season.
Colapinto will make his debut as the iconic British team’s 49th Grand Prix driver at the 2024 Italian GP this week. Colapinto’s promotion might come as a surprise for many who were expecting either Liam Lawson or Mick Schumacher to be Sargeant’s replacement.
Team principal, James Vowles has placed his trust on the 21-year-old Argentinian instead. So, how did an untested rookie make the cut for the Grove-based team over two arguably reputed drivers with prior Grand Prix experience under their belts?
Lawson was too complicated for Williams to pursue
In the days after the Dutch GP, Lawson was being billed as the favorite to take over Sargeant’s seat for the nine remaining races this season. Initially, Red Bull team advisor, Helmut Marko had even suggested that they were open to a short-term arrangement for the New Zealander to drive for Williams.
However, the Milton-Keynes-based team’s internal situation may have made matters rather complicated for Vowles’ liking. As suggested by former F1 mechanic, Marc Priestley and later confirmed by reports, the Bulls were only willing to lend Lawson out on certain specific terms.
This included an option to recall him if they decided to part ways with Sergio Perez before the season ended. The #11 driver has the backing of the Red Bull hierarchy for the moment. But with the Bulls losing their grip on the Constructors’ championship with each passing race weekend — Perez losing his seat is becoming ever so likely.
The last thing Williams need is further instability — another urgent search for a replacement if Lawson would have been called back by Red Bull. Hence, Vowles may have decided to opt out of pursuing the Kiwi completely.
Vowles does not have the option on his first-choice Mercedes driver
Being a Mercedes customer team, Williams would have also been required to get Toto Wolff’s approval on Lawson’s hiring. Therefore, the other logical option was to sign a driver from within the Silver Arrows’ stable. In this connection, Mick Schumacher was being lobbied for internally by Wolff.
That being said, despite having the backing of the Austrian, Vowles had already made it clear that he wasn’t interested in Schumacher. Even last year, talks were ongoing about sacking Sargeant when Wolff had volunteered Schumacher‘s name to Vowles. However, the Briton was left unimpressed by the German’s simulator data and he decided to retain Sargeant for 2024.
It is being suggested that Vowles was after Kimi Antonelli instead. But Wolff shut that door firmly to deny the 18-year-old Italian’s availability, who would instead be focusing on the testing program devised by the team. There is also a potential promotion on the cards for Antonelli as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement for next year.
Franco Colapinto is an impressive racing driver
While the circumstantial unavailability of both Lawson and Schumacher would have helped Colapinto’s cause, he is by no stretch of the imagination a sub-par racing driver. The two-time karting and Spanish F4 champion signed with the Williams Academy in 2023. He currently sits sixth in the F2 standings after an impressive first full-time season in the category.
Franco Colapinto since joining @WilliamsRacing:
2023 | 4th in F3 – 110 points, 3 wins, 5 podiums
2024 | 6th* in F2 – 96 points, 1 win, 3 podiums#FC43 | @OfficialMPteam pic.twitter.com/KJXiTFO77i— Fraser Lloyd (@frasllo) August 27, 2024
He’s scored two podiums and a race win in F2 so far. Moreover, he made his FP1 debut earlier this year at the 2024 British GP driving the FW46. The Argentinian already knows the ins and outs of the Williams team and has experience driving their 2024 car — at least more than any of the other drivers who were touted as potential candidates for the seat.
Vowles does not want Williams to go down the VCARB road
Former Mercedes man, Vowles left the Silver Arrows to join Williams with a mission. He wants to win and he wants to do it on his own terms. The Briton is acutely aware that for a constructor to vie for the championship — it cannot be held back by the shackles of being a B-team.
While Williams is a Mercedes customer outfit, it does not want to go down the Visa Cash App RB (formerly AlphaTauri and Toro Rosso) route. For years, the Faenza-based team has served as the junior team that groomed Red Bull’s junior drivers.
Rather than making Williams a mere stepping-stone for young Mercedes juniors, Vowles’ signing of Colapinto — a Williams Academy driver — makes the statement that the team is looking to build a foundation for its own future success.
A final push for 2025
Vowles has declared the move as “the best chance to compete for points over the remainder of the season.” The 45-year-old also emphasized on the latest upgrade package that the team has brought on to the FW46. For all intents and purposes, Vowles views Colapinto’s arrival as both — a chance to move up the Constructors’ standings and also streamline development for 2025.
With Carlos Sainz making his move to Williams on the back of some promising data, the Briton would need a driver he trusts to help drive the team’s development in the right direction. While the 21-year-old Argentinian might not be able to give expert insights, Vowles hopes he can at least gather consistently competitive data — something that was not possible with Sargeant.
