It was expected after Logan Sargerant’s embarrassing accident at Zandvoort on Saturday: the American lost his place at Williams F1 and will not finish the season in Grove’s team. But while everyone expected to see Mick Schumacher in the seat, it is Williams academy junior Franco Colapinto who will replace him at Monza this weekend.
Sargeant has had numerous accidents in a year and a half, and on top of his lack of performance, the bill was starting to add up for Williams. The car he crashed in the Netherlands on Saturday was also equipped with the full package of upgrades.
Colapinto, who is racing in F2 this year with MP Motorsport, has won one race and has the confidence of James Vowles. While he will be driving the number 43, he will now have nine races to show his talent, although the team’s seats are already filled by Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz for 2025.
The team confirmed that Colapinto would remain alongside Albon for the rest of the season, and the man who is the first Argentinian to ride in the world championship since Gaston Mazzacane did not hide his joy.
“It’s an honour to make my Formula 1 debut with Williams” said Colapinto. “The team has an extraordinary history and a mission to return to the forefront that I look forward to being a part of.”
“Coming into F1 mid-season will be a huge learning curve, but I’m up for the challenge, and I’m fully focused on working as hard as I can with Alex and the team to make it a success.”
“A better chance to fight for points”
Williams boss James Vowles has long sought to avoid that decision by keeping Sargeant until the end. He seemed angrier on Saturday after the crash, and explains that choice.
“Replacing a driver mid-season is not a decision we take lightly, but we believe it gives Williams the best chance of fighting for points until the end of the season.” Vowles said.
“We have just made a significant upgrade to the car and we need to maximise every opportunity to score points in a remarkably close midfield battle.”
“We also believe in investing in our young drivers within the Williams Racing Driver Academy, and Franco has a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate what he is capable of over the final nine rounds of the season.”
The Briton is aware that this decision will be difficult for Sargeant to accept: “This is undoubtedly very difficult for Logan, who has given his all throughout his career at Williams, and we would like to thank him for his hard work and positive attitude.”
“Logan remains a talented driver and we will support him to continue his racing career in the future. I know Franco has great speed and huge potential, and we look forward to seeing what he can do in Formula 1.”
