After months of hard work, Williams finally signed Carlos Sainz on a multiyear deal. The process took a long time, so Williams also talked to other drivers about their future.
One of these drivers was Franco Colapinto, an F2 star and part of the Williams Academy. His management tried hard to get him a 2025 F1 seat.
Vowles’ Thoughts on Colapinto’s F1 Readiness:
Colapinto shared his journey recently, revealing he might have been Williams’ second choice if they couldn’t sign Sainz from Ferrari. Earlier this year, Colapinto had a chance to drive the FW45 at Silverstone during FP1.
James Vowles, Williams’ team principal, spoke about what’s best for Colapinto’s future during that event. “Our investment, our commitment to them (academy drivers) has to be an amount of time in a historic car and an amount of time with preparation to make sure that if we choose them to go forward, they’re effectively in the strongest place they can be and we haven’t provided that to Franco at this point.”
Last year, Colapinto won two races in F3 and finished fourth overall. This season in F2, he has one win and two podiums with MP Motorsport. Fans might think it’s risky for Williams to sign another rookie after Logan Sargeant only managed one point in two seasons with 35 starts.
What do you think? Should Williams have given Colapinto a chance?
