Ahead of the Italian Grand Prix Williams replaced struggling Logan Sargeant in its quest to score points with both cars. So how realistic is it to expect points from his replacement Franco Colapinto?
While the decision to relieve Sargeant from his duties did not come as a surprise, the sudden timing of it and the choice for inexperienced rookie Colapinto, just when Williams needs someone who can immediately come in and deliver, was subject to plenty of day one criticism.
But in his first grand prix weekend Colapinto gave a good account of himself. He did put one foot wrong in qualifying by going off on his final Q1 lap, which likely cost him a Q2 slot, but the Argentine then went on to deliver a mature race that saw him move up from 18th on the grid to 12th at the chequered flag.
It was some vindication for Williams’ bold choice to back its own youth programme rather than bringing in a more experienced option. But as Williams slowly starts to wheel out more upgrades, which team-mate Alex Albon used to good effect to finish ninth in Monza, the pressure will soon be on Colapinto to do the same.
So, how realistic it is to start expecting points from his new driver? Vowles admitted the upcoming double-header featuring Baku and especially the challenging Singapore, tracks that the 21-year-old has never visited, will be a tough test. But he hopes the thousands of hours spent in the team’s simulator will pay off.
“I would still say that [there’s] every reason to be encouraged at how he’s going to perform in Baku and Singapore and all the remaining tracks,” Vowles told Motorsport.com. “Because one of the things he’s very strong at, is translating that theoretical world into the real world.
“It’s based on what he did in Silverstone [free practice] and what he’s doing in the simulator, which sometimes doesn’t always correlate, but with him there was good evidence to suggest as much.”
“I think, he’ll be absolutely fine, based on what I’ve seen. But it’s not just Baku. I think Singapore is more of a challenge than Baku. In Singapore, there’s very little resting time between the corners and a lot more overheating.
Franco Colapinto, Williams FW46 battles with Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24, ahead of Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR24, Valtteri Bottas, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber C44, Zhou Guanyu, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber C44
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
“Irrespective, I think you’re going to find every track is a challenge going forward, but I knew that before we signed him. That’s just a part of the package. I think you’ll find that he’ll progress from where he is today. That’s my prediction.
“So, despite not knowing the track, I think by the time we get into the race, he should have progressed a bit more from than he is now.”
But Vowles was keen to stress expecting points this weekend was “too high an expectation”, with further upgrades that Williams has in the pipeline making it a more realistic prospect further down the line as F1 heads to the American races.
“A little bit is on us,” he explained. “We have to improve the car at the right rate, and there are more updates coming that will help us push more concretely into that point-scoring region.
“When the package is on the car, his chances become all the remaining races. But answering the question more formally, in Baku he still has a chance, but he has to be absolutely perfect that weekend, and I think it’s too high an expectation to put on his shoulders.
“We can see there’s a pathway forward where at Zandvoort with maximum downforce and at Monza with none of the downforce we’re in the top 10. So we’ve got plenty of reasons to be optimistic until the end of the year.”
