“He is never disturbed, never panicked, never overwhelmed”
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In a podcast interview Beyond The Grid of F1, James Vowles, the director of the Williams team, spoke about Franco Colapinto. His words suggest a promising future for the young driver, despite the absence of a wheel available at Williams for the 2025 season.
“Franco deserves his place in Formula 1”Vowles said. This affirmation comes after only two Grand Prix contested by the young Argentine driver, who replaced Logan Sargeant since the Italian Grand Prix. THE rookie immediately caused a sensation, scoring his first points in his second race in Azerbaijan. Vowles admitted to being surprised by his performance, “I didn’t expect him to get into the rhythm so quickly. I thought he would need a few more races to get there. »
The Williams boss also highlighted Colapinto’s ability to handle pressure, “He can take all this pressure, these thousands of things that happen to you, and handle them with ease. He is never disturbed, never panicked, never overwhelmed. »
Colapinto’s performance is all the more impressive as it rivals that of his experienced teammate, Alex Albon. At Singapore, a famously difficult circuit, Colapinto was only 7 thousandths of a second behind Albon in qualifying, demonstrating his ability to adapt quickly to new challenges.
However, his future at Williams remains uncertain at the moment. The team has already confirmed its line-up for 2025 with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz. Asked if Colapinto could have been retained if Sainz had hesitated, Vowles replied, “Carlos not only brings the ability to drive quickly, but also the ability to help the team progress. Where we are at Williams today, I need leaders around me who understand what excellence looks like. »
Vowles believes that this experience of Sainz can be beneficial for Williams, as it can help the team progress faster. He acknowledges that Williams is making steady progress, but insists they need to make “leaps forward” meaningful to really improve.
He, however, highlighted the qualities of Colapinto, “What Franco brings is this pure performance. There’s no doubt about it, he can get the most out of this car. »
Faced with the situation, Vowles explores options for the young Argentinian’s future. “We will do what it takes, to a certain extent, to make it work”Vowles said during the podcast. Regarding the possibilities at other teams, he declared, “I’m not sure where Sauber and VCARB are in their decision-making process. »
Between uncertainty and opportunities
Vowles remains pragmatic despite everything, in the market of Formula 1 drivers, particularly unpredictable this year, he recalled recent events, “Take the last 12 months, tell me you were able to predict anything about what was going to happen, because I couldn’t. » Williams director assures that even if Colapinto does not find a team to welcome him in 2025, he will remain “The best option available for everyone on the grid, including us. »
In the meantime, Williams is committed to preparing him as best he can. “Our responsibility to him is to make sure that we test in a historic car, that he works with us, that we keep him in the best position possible so that if an opportunity presents itself, he can take it.”explains Vowles.
The mutual trust between Vowles and Colapinto appears to be a key element of their partnership, “What’s really important to me is that I trusted him and in return, he trusted me. This means a lot to us as an organization. It is now essential to find a path for him to become a professional driver in Formula 1.”underlines the director of Williams.
The driver market for 2025 continues to take shape, particularly with Sauber yet to announce its drivers for the next season. Colapinto’s performances and support from Vowles put him in a good position to land a permanent F1 drive, whether at Williams or elsewhere on the grid.
