Метка: Williams

Colapinto dismisses 2025 RB F1 rumours after Mexico GP

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Williams driver Franco Colapinto has dismissed rumours he is in the frame for a seat at Red Bull’s RB Formula 1 team, suggesting he will be on the sidelines in 2025.

Colapinto wowed the F1 paddock with his strong performances and calm attitude as a mid-season replacement for Logan Sargeant at Williams. In his five races thus far, the Argentinian has scored five points and never finished lower than 12th, with another combative display at Sunday’s Mexico Grand Prix going unrewarded.

There is no room for Colapinto as a regular driver at Williams next year, with the team having already signed Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who won Sunday’s grand prix, to slot in alongside Alex Albon.

But the 21-year-old’s form has turned enough heads for him to be considered at Sauber and at Red Bull, which may have a slot at its sister RB team.

But while there have been casual talks between Williams and Red Bull, with Williams boss James Vowles willing to loan his reserve driver out, Colapinto has dismissed suggestions he could be on the F1 grid next year.

«No, at the moment, I don’t understand much of what they are talking about. I don’t know where it came from,» Colapinto told F1 TV.

«I don’t have any seat for next year, and at the moment, I’m not racing Formula 1. I’m probably going to be racing somewhere else.

Franco Colapinto, Williams Racing

Franco Colapinto, Williams Racing

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

«So look, it’s going to be maybe a year that I’m not going to be here, but I hope to be showing that I deserve a seat here enough to come back in ’26 or ’27. It is my goal, and it’s why I’m doing what I can race after race.

«That’s why [after qualifying] I was disappointed with the result and just trying to do my best session after session to try and show I deserve to be here.»

While Red Bull is understood to have some interest in Colapinto, driver advisor Helmut Marko suggested the team is not keen on taking outside drivers on loan when it has its own junior programme, with F2 frontrunner Isack Hadjar also waiting in the wings.

«The problem with him is that he has a long-term contract with Williams,» the Austrian told the Kleine Zeitung. «[Taking him on loan] is not interesting for any team. You do not want to train a driver for another team.»

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Vowles has reiterated he feels Colapinto deserves a place in F1 and the squad is aiming to help him secure a spot.

«I think in all of these things at the moment, let’s start with the basics,» Vowles told the post-race F1 show. «He has earned his place on the grid, and what we want to help with is finding him a place in that regard.

«What it looks like, I can’t tell you at the moment, because A, it’s very sensitive, and B, there’s really not a lot to discuss right now.»



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Williams building from the ground up with long-term F1 plan for success

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Team principal James Vowles is unequivocal when discussing the long-term ambitions to take Williams back to the front of Formula 1 – and has no issues in admitting it is not a quick fix.

Having finished seventh in the constructors’ championship last season, Williams currently occupy eighth in the 2024 standings although the recent double points finish for Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto in Azerbaijan has improved the outlook.

Recent results are a far cry from the halcyon days of the 1980s and 90s during which time Williams won nine constructors’ titles and seven drivers’ championships.

Vowles, who has championship-winning experience working at Brawn and Mercedes before getting the top job at Williams, is committed to returning the team to the glory years and revealed at an Autosport Business event at Soho House in Austin that the whole team is aligned when it comes to the long-term nature of the plan required.

“We have to accept that ’24 and ’25 are just simply stepping stones in our pathway, but they’re not the key years,” he told Autosport editor-in-chief Rebecca Clancy during a panel.

“They’re years where we’ll deliver slight performance updates. We’ll move forward. I think we’ve demonstrated that enough. But let’s invest everything into our future and that’s 2026 where near enough every single rule has changed, not a line in it carrying over from ’24 or ’25, not a piece of the car will carry over.

“It is completely start again, clean sheet of paper and for a team like us, it means that I’ve already got a huge number of the organisation working on 2026. It’s a year and a half away. But it doesn’t matter. They’ve been designing the ’26 car for about six months now. The best aerodynamicists working on ’26, they’re not working on ’24 or ’25.”

Jamie Chadwick, Williams Racing Driver & F1 Academy Adviser with James Vowles, Team Principal, Williams Racing

Jamie Chadwick, Williams Racing Driver & F1 Academy Adviser with James Vowles, Team Principal, Williams Racing

Photo by: Michael Potts / Motorsport Images

Asked if Dorilton Capital, the investment firm that purchased Williams in 2020, and the team’s wealth of partners were on board with the potential loss of earnings through performance in 2024 and 2025 with attention turned to the new era beginning in 2026, Vowles replied: “Without a doubt.

“In the first conversations I had when I was joining Williams, I laid out a pathway and a cost and what was relayed back to me was: ‘Don’t shortcut anything. Let’s get this right, because we get it right once’.

“It takes the time it takes to get this fixed. But if you shortcut anything, maybe we’ll move forward slightly, but you will move back at some point. You’ve got to do this properly foundationally. So there were two things we’re doing.

“With our partners, every single one of them is aware of what this journey is. It’s not one where you’ll see us leap forward next year. But if you want to be in the second-most successful team on the grid that absolutely has the investment to get back to the front, now’s the time to get in at ground zero, and that’s resonated.”

With the changing rules and the ever-increasing technical innovations open to Formula 1 teams, Vowles is also keen to make sure the human element, and the mantra that failure is an option, is not lost from Williams at what is fast becoming a crucial period in the team’s history.

“You need a culture of continuous change. What you’ve done yesterday, that’s not good enough anymore,” he added.

“It’s not about what technology infrastructure you have. It is created by the people and the culture that you’re driving. We do it. We develop it. Keep moving on, making sure that you’re driving innovation and innovation is a word for me that is synonymous with not a small development, but rather a technology change that you’re putting in place that changes either the sport or the world — big, big words, but that’s what innovation is for me.

James Vowles, Team Principal, Williams Racing

James Vowles, Team Principal, Williams Racing

Photo by: Williams

“To get there, you need a culture where failure is completely acceptable. I fail most days, but we’re failing most days because we’re pushing everything to the boundary of where it should be.

“So as long as you have a culture where blame doesn’t exist, but more importantly, you can learn from whatever failure you’ve had and improve from it, you can suddenly start to get this momentum that forms behind it.”

Vowles is also clearly under no illusions of the size of the task at hand, but the straight-talking 45-year-old believes he knows just what is required.

“Williams is the second most successful team on the grid. Even today, only Ferrari is more successful,” he said.

“So when the call came in late ’22 to join such a powerful organisation, an organisation that perhaps for 15 years hasn’t been invested in the right level but had so much potential. It was an easy decision – and that’s coming from the most successful team on the grid [Mercedes].

“When you have an organisation that hasn’t been financed in the right way for a number of years, you normally end up with quite a few infrastructure problems to fix, people problems, culture problems that come from it as well.

“The real solution behind it is, and I said these words on the first day that I joined the organisation, but we’re going to break everything and that’s really what we are doing.

Alex Albon, Williams FW46

Alex Albon, Williams FW46

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

“It is not about putting a sticky plaster or a band aid on top of it. We are going to go back to absolute foundations, making sure that we get the people absolutely right.

“That means hiring the brightest and best and training the brightest and best. So to give you an idea, we welcomed 110 early careers into the organisation, the organisation is a thousand people, if that doesn’t tell you what we’re doing for the future…that’s a 10-year program before it really delivers strength, but that’s where we’re putting our investment.”



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The defining moments of Williams boss Vowles’ rollercoaster season

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Formula 1 can be a turbulent ride at times, but for Williams boss James Vowles the 2024 season has been extreme.

From starting the year with an overweight challenger, having no spare car early on, winning the race for Carlos Sainz’s services, dropping Logan Sargeant and then becoming a hero in Argentina because of Franco Colapinto’s brilliant form. It has been hard to keep up with it all.

Bouncing between these highs and lows may have left even Vowles struggling to catch his breath, but he is equally not a person who lets emotional swings get to him.

He well knows that he has been employed by Williams to help get the team back towards the front of the grid. And, while the Grove-based outfit has had some good days in the sun so far this year, he accepts there is still an awful long way to go before he can feel he is anywhere near accomplishing his mission.

“When I’m asked the question, are you happy with the first half of the season? You go ‘clearly not’,” Vowles told Autosport.

“We had so much potential and performance in the car that we didn’t utilise, and that’s frustrating. But my head is that everything is just stepping stones towards the long-term goal. That’s how I see things.

Alex Albon, Williams FW46

Alex Albon, Williams FW46

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

“Carlos is a fantastic addition, but he is just one of 1000 things that we need to do on our path towards going back towards the front.

“It’s the same as adding performance to the car and tangibly demonstrating to ourselves, not the world, that we are able to develop a car successfully against what is a very fierce field now.

“So, because I have that grounding of ’26, ’27 and just trying to get some fundamentals in place, you detach yourself from anything that you’re doing at that stage.

“It sounds odd, but it gives you the grounding you need, not to get carried away with the highs and lows of it all, because there’s plenty.”

Dropping Sargeant was ‘tough’

Perhaps the most difficult moment for Vowles came after the Dutch Grand Prix when he had to make the call to drop Sargeant.

With the American having not made the progress that had been hoped for against Alex Albon, a hefty crash with a newly updated car on Saturday morning in Zandvoort proved to be the final straw.

Logan Sargeant, Williams Racing, James Vowles, Williams Racing Team Principal

Logan Sargeant, Williams Racing, James Vowles, Williams Racing Team Principal

Photo by: Williams

While some individuals in the F1 paddock may revel in the opportunity of getting rid of people, Vowles admits it was not easy for him.

“I knew what came with the job when I chose to do it, but if you look up and down the grid, there’s very few team principals that ever changed their driver halfway through the year,” he said. “It is tough to do.

“But what I’m driven by is openness and honesty. Logan knew long before that point that he was at risk, and he knew what his targets were.

“I preferred to lay it down in a really raw way: ‘Here’s where you’re not performing at a level we need to, and that’s in your hands. I’ll help you as much as possible. But if we don’t get there, this is where we will make changes.’

“So as a result of that, I’m comfortable with myself, that I gave every opportunity that I could with Logan, and supported him in that opportunity at the same time.

“But my responsibility isn’t to one individual in this team, it’s to 1000 people that are here every weekend day in and day out.”

Franco Colapinto, Williams Racing

Franco Colapinto, Williams Racing

Photo by: Williams

The Colapinto impact

While dropping a driver is never nice, Vowles would probably admit that he could never have imagined Sargeant’s replacement Colapinto doing so well.

The Argentinian seemed instantly at home in F1 machinery and, after just missing out on the points in Italy, his eighth place in Baku drew massive praise from up and down the pitlane.

Vowles sees parallels to what has happened to Colapinto to his own journey through F1.

“I was a graduate 30 years ago,” said Vowles. “Someone trusted me and gave me opportunity all the way through my career, and I’m here today.

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“Franco was someone I’ve known even before he joined Williams. He had no practice, jumped in the car, and did what he could with it.

“He’s bloody quick, deserved a chance, and I could see something that the rest of the world couldn’t see. He’s delivered on that, and it is a feel good factor. It really is.”

Franco Colapinto, Williams FW46

Franco Colapinto, Williams FW46

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

Vowles also thinks that the story of giving a youngster like Colapinto a chance is one that stands true for bringing the next generation of talent through at Williams.

“At my core and Williams’ core, and that is why we align so well, is investing in future generations,” added Vowles. “Franco epitomises that fundamentally.

“We’re doing the same within the factory with brilliant graduates that we’re pushing through the organisation and giving opportunity to.

“It’s rewarding because that’s really at the core of what I want. I want future generations to not push me out of my role, but challenge me to the level where I have to let go of the reins of something I have a responsibility for.”

That Schumacher remark

It is not just on-track where Vowles has been in the spotlight though, because he has learned some tough lessons off it too.

Perhaps one of the biggest came at the Italian Grand Prix when Vowles found himself at the centre of a media frenzy after he made a remark about Mick Schumacher that grabbed the headlines.

Mick Schumacher, Reserve Driver, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team

Mick Schumacher, Reserve Driver, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Speaking about the decision to bring in rookie Colapinto rather than more experienced options like Schumacher, Vowles said: “I think we have to be straightforward about this. Mick isn’t special, he would just be good.”

The fallout of his ‘not special’ remark was quite extreme, and Vowles quickly realised his phrasing had not been great – which is why he apologised to Schumacher and his family.

Looking back at events now, Vowles admits it taught him a good lesson in being more careful in what he says.

“It’s difficult because that one for me, that’s clearly not what I meant, which is why I went and immediately apologised to him, his family and everyone around it,” he said.

“I was devastated at the time, because it showed me the power of a few words, and that I have to be far more diligent in what I’m doing and how I’m saying it.

“It was a learning lesson that I hope stays with me forever.”



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Williams to “compromise” next season ahead of 2026 rules overhaul

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Williams team principal James Vowles has warned that the 2025 Formula 1 season will prove tricky for the British outfit as it focuses on the new regulations for the following year.

F1 cars will be overhauled from 2026 onwards, with smaller dimensions, reduced weight, simplified aerodynamics and toned-down downforce and drag.

Having failed to finish a race in the top five since 2017 — other than the controversial 2021 Belgian Grand Prix — as it struggled financially under the Williams family, the Grove-based team has been getting the budget it needs from new owners Dorilton Capital and catching up with rival squads in terms of both performance and infrastructure.

2026 will therefore be a major opportunity for Williams to leap up the pecking order with drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, and the team is ready to sacrifice the upcoming campaign to do so.

“It’s the message that Alex and Carlos both know: 2025 will be a struggle, I think,” Vowles told Autosport.

“It’s not that you’re going to see us moving forward, we’re going to move back a little bit.

“And if we are, I’m okay with that, because it simply says that I’m investing at the right rate for ‘26 compared to those around me. That’s what we should be expecting from it: we are going to compromise ’25. That doesn’t mean we’ll be tenth, but it’s going to be a hard year.”

Alex Albon, Williams FW46

Alex Albon, Williams FW46

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Following a 2023 season in which Williams narrowly beat AlphaTauri [now RB] for seventh position — with 28 points to 25 in the constructors’ championship — the team struggled early this year with just four points before the summer break.

However, its campaign really took off in Monza and Baku – with Albon and team-mate Franco Colapinto both finishing in the top eight in Azerbaijan – which is down to the ponderous FW46 finally losing crucial weight.

“I think we were fortunate to finish seventh last year,” Vowles added. “RB was bloody quick at the end of the year, and it was really just a matter of one strategic call, almost, that defined who finished ahead in the championship. We still finished seventh.

“This year’s car was performing. I think I was quite open in how overweight we were. Just take that time off and you’ll see that we shouldn’t be where we are in the championship. Now that we’ve had the performance, taking the weight off the car, we’re back to where I would have expected us to be – which is therefore not a step backwards.”

Vowles now advocates for a trial-and-error approach in the next 12 months as he considers this to be the best way to learn amidst the 2026 technical revolution.

“We are trying to do leaps – not steps forward, not inching forward, not minimal gains, or marginal gains even, but leaps in the technology and what we’re doing,” the Briton explained. “And in doing so, we’re going to trip ourselves up. And I’m comfortable with that, because we can’t unlearn what we’ve learned.

“I give you almost a guarantee: unfortunately, we’re going to trip ourselves again. I don’t think it’d be in ‘25, for what it’s worth. I think we’ve got enough of a good pathway to lead us there. I think in ’26, what we’re asking of the organisation is more than we can deliver. So we’ve got to make it fit or perhaps trip up a little bit along the way.”



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Williams explains O’Sullivan, Browning F2 shuffle

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Williams sporting director Sven Smeets has hinted funding had not been solely behind Zak O’Sullivan’s ART departure in Formula 2, after he was replaced by fellow Williams junior Luke Browning.

O’Sullivan announced following the Monza event that he would not be completing his rookie campaign, citing funding issues as the reason to be stepping away.

Replacing him at ART was Browning, who finished third in F3 this term and had been in the championship mix into the final race.

Speaking exclusively to Autosport, Smeets hinted that funding had not been solely to blame for two-time race winner O’Sullivan’s sudden ART departure.

“Between Zak and ART, that’s a personal issue,” he said. “We have nothing to do with that.

“I can confirm, though, that Zak is still in the Academy, so Zak has not left the Academy.

“We now have to see, in the next few months, what we will do together. The ball will also be in the court of Zak’s management a bit. For the rest, I can’t really elaborate on that and it’s more of a question to them, what happened with ART.”

Zak O'Sullivan, ART Grand Prix

Zak O’Sullivan, ART Grand Prix

Photo by: Formula Motorsport Ltd

Pressed on whether Williams could have provided more assistance to fill O’Sullivan’s budget shortfall, Smeets added: “That’s always a difficult question. There are agreements in place, and of course, I cannot elaborate on that.

“Between them and ART something happened, and that was the conclusion ART drew from that. They eventually said: we cannot continue with each other.

“But, as I said, Zak is still in the Williams family. We will continue with each other and until the end of the year, he is with us.”

Browning set for Hitech 2025 F2 seat

O’Sullivan’s exit came at the perfect moment for Browning, who joined fellow F3 drivers Gabriele Mini and Christian Mansell in making his F2 debut on the Baku streets, a chance that came thanks to his Williams links.

“I think ART was in contact with several people,” said Smeets. “But they said: ‘look, this year the idea was to do this with Williams as well’, in part. So they then gave the opportunity to Luke.”

The move to ART resulted in Browning switching away from Hitech, the team with which the Briton has raced for during the past three years.

Luke Browning, Hitech Pulse-Eight, 1st position, on the podium

Luke Browning, Hitech Pulse-Eight, 1st position, on the podium

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

As per Smeets, however, this union will be re-established in 2025, when Browning will make the full-time step up to F2 with Hitech.

“For him, of course, it’s great to prepare for next year because he’s going to stay with Hitech for F2,” said Smeets.

“There are three circuits coming up he doesn’t know from F3. I said to him: ‘The more kilometres you can do, the better,’ because this is the build-up towards next year.”

While this has not been confirmed by either the team or driver, Autosport understands Hitech intends to announce its line-up following the season’s end in December.



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Williams loaded Colapinto with «more information than a human can take»

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Williams Formula 1 team boss James Vowles says he was impressed with how the team’s rookie driver Franco Colapinto managed a mid-season debut in Italy.

Williams academy driver Colapinto was promoted to a race seat at the expense of Logan Sargeant in between a busy double-header of Zandvoort and Monza, making his debut at the Italian Grand Prix on the back of just a single free practice session in the 2024 car.

It was sink or swim for the 21-year-old Argentine, who was handed the seat for the nine remaining races of the 2024 season before handing it to statement signing Carlos Sainz.

But swim he did, and after a mistake in qualifying left him 18th on the grid, the F2 graduate turned a faultless race to come home 12th, having been close to team-mate Alex Albon’s pace for the majority of the race.

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«To finish within a few seconds of Alex, of which the delta was all made in the first stint, when he qualified out of position, is a good result,» Vowles told Autosport.

«He procedurally got everything correct that he needed to; at the start he didn’t lose position, he did a good job at the pitstop.

«Up to his mistake in qualifying he was about within a tenth of Alex. That’s the only mistake that anyone can put on him, and without that, I think he could have been fighting for a point on his first outing. So I’m very, very happy with everything that he’s done and how he’s built up into it.»

Franco Colapinto, Williams FW46

Franco Colapinto, Williams FW46

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Having copped criticism for entrusting a total rookie to step in and help Williams’ chase for points, Vowles said he was pleased to see the calm and collected manner Colapinto dealt with the huge challenge thrown his way.

«Part of the reason why he’s in the car is his ability to cope with immense amounts of pressure,» he said. «You still [need to] have natural ability to drive quickly, but he’s not really flappable.

«We loaded him up with more information than a human being can take, and if you ask him now, he’ll say that was definitely too much. But it didn’t cause him to go into any other state than ‘this is how I do things, and this is how I perform the best’, and that’s part of the reason why he’s in the car.»

Vowles admitted that Colapinto’s lack of experience was a factor counting against him, but felt he had seen enough from the 21-year-old’s endless simulator runs and his mature Silverstone F1 outing to put his faith in him.

«What I drove back to is this: he’s faster than people realise,» he explained. «You need to see it for yourself. It’s based on what he did in Silverstone and what he’s doing in the simulator, which sometimes doesn’t always correlate, but there was good evidence to suggest as much.

Franco Colapinto, Williams Racing

Franco Colapinto, Williams Racing

Photo by: Williams

«I believe in investing in [youth]. I was a graduate once and someone invested in me. And if you invest in the right individuals who have the right backing, you’ll be surprised what you can get back from them.»

Asked how realistic it is to start expecting points from his new driver, he replied: «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. I think he could have scored points if qualifying had gone well.

«A little bit is on us. 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.»

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new F1 driver Colapinto’s first day

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


«To have the opportunity to be here, speaking to all of you, it’s a pleasure.»

New Williams driver Franco Colapinto there – addressing a packed scrum of Formula 1’s press corps in a sweltering tent at Monza that was in places five people deep.

Let’s see if he still feels that way after the nine races he will compete in to end this campaign in place of the ousted Logan Sargeant. After all, Lando Norris has grown weary of his expanded media duties – per F1’s rules – after just a few weeks now McLaren is firmly at the head of the pack…

But it was a sweet start for the Argentinian. He moved to Italy to pursue his single-seater racing dream aged 14 – learning Italian from mechanics at a kart factory before starting to climb the ladder from Spanish Formula 4.

He joined Williams’ Academy at the start of last year, and now that the team has moved to drop Sargeant after a string of underwhelming results alongside Alex Albon, he becomes its 55th F1 world championship race driver.

“I am just extremely grateful with Williams for the opportunity,” he added. “It came very late, of course, but I’m always ready.

“I was not expecting it, to be honest. I cannot explain you how happy I am to be here with Williams. They have been very supportive and the opportunity that they have given to me is insane.”

Franco Colapinto, Williams Racing

Franco Colapinto, Williams Racing

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images

Less insane that Colapinto has been granted his debut at Monza – one of F1’s less technical tracks and where the Williams package has performed strongly in recent years.

“If I could choose a track to do my first race at,” Albon said when asked about his new team-mate in this weekend’s pre-event press conference, “I think Monza is one of the more forgiving ones. Better than Baku or Singapore.”

Colapinto can also see out the 2024 campaign without the pressure to earn a 2025 F1 race seat – at least not at Williams, which will have Carlos Sainz join Albon for next year. Colapinto says “I have no idea about next year” at this stage regarding his plans for 2025, where he could return to F2 competition.

Overall, this was a clear moment of excitement for youngster, who is out to grasp his chance solidly. Alongside this opportunity, Williams announced a new Argentina-based sponsor on Thursday evening.

Colapinto found out he’d be getting his F1 chance last Monday, when he was “in the Formula 2 sim, with MP [Motorsport], preparing the race with my team for Formula 2 here in Monza”.

Next, he was in Williams’ Grove factory, where he “prepared a seat” and “prepared in the simulator very well” for his second chance driving the FW46 after his FP1 outing at Silverstone in place of Sargeant.

“The race engineer, the performance engineer – they were giving me all their information, all their tips and details to be quick as soon as possible,” he continued. “To make that learning process a bit quicker.

Franco Colapinto, Williams Racing

Franco Colapinto, Williams Racing

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images

“I am privileged that I was able to be in the [Williams] simulator for so long in the past, even though I was racing only in Formula 2, because at the end it prepared me a little bit more to Formula 1.

“To go through all those processes, to do so many things to do in the car, and I think to be doing laps and laps and laps there, it helped me a little bit to be a bit more comfortable today. I sit in the car and I know the wheel and many things that are sometimes a bit difficult.”

Colapinto answered every question chucked his way across the congested pen area attached to the mixed zone area where F1’s TV broadcasters do their many interviews.

He started off open, gradually bringing his arms to fold in front of him as the 15-session wore on – even running over by five minutes given Colapinto’s generally effusive answers. A closer look at his hands revealed a slightly tremble, but by the end, with these wisely now placed in his pockets, the relaxed demeanour had returned.

He was particularly amused by a question asking if he feels like Argentina’s Lionel Messi before playing in the World Cup – having also left home and moved abroad at a young age in something of a parallel with the football megastar. At least, that’s what the question implied.

“I know how it is to feel that, but sometimes I see that they compare me and I am like, ‘you guys are crazy!’” Colapinto replied, gracefully.

“Like, Messi is god – you cannot do how you’re comparing me. But there is 23 years without an F1 driver from Argentina [the last being Minardi and Prost racer Gaston Mazzacane at the turn of the millennium]. So, it’s making Argentinians very happy because it’s a very special moment for all of them.”

Race winner Franco Colapinto, MP Motorsport

Race winner Franco Colapinto, MP Motorsport

Photo by: Williams

As he prepares to take to the Monza track six days after Sargeant’s enormous Zandvoort FP3 crash that effectively ended his F1 career, Colapinto’s final revelation from his first media grilling was that “we did” – he had spoken with the American since William’s brutal move was announced.

“It’s very tough,” Colapinto concluded. “I think it’s never easy for the team, for the driver, for the driver coming in to be changed in the middle of the season.

“And for all those things happening, it’s of course not nice for Logan. He had an amazing opportunity to get to F1. He had some very good performances.

“I think he got up to speed very quick in Formula 1 and of course it’s an opportunity that I’m going to take, whatever happens.

“I’ve been working to win in Formula 1 since I was very young, and this opportunity, you never know when it’s going to come back. So I am of course taking the chance. I’m going to try to do my best.

“I understand it’s very, very, very sad for Logan, but I think he had a great time in F1. He did a very good job. I hope he has a great performance in whatever he does next. He’s a very good driver.”



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Albon disqualified from Dutch GP qualifying over technical infringement

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Alex Albon has been thrown out of the Dutch Grand Prix qualifying results as the floor on his Williams was found not to be compliant with the FIA’s legality checks.

The Anglo-Thai driver had enjoyed an impressive Saturday afternoon at Zandvoort, and had hurled his newly upgraded Williams into eighth in qualifying to beat Lance Stroll and Pierre Gasly in Q3.

In their post-session scrutineering session, the FIA had found the Williams’ floor had lain outside of the maximum bounding box permitted by the regulations and thus reported to the stewards.

Autosport understands that when the floor was scanned by the FIA, it was found to be too wide — beyond the 1600mm width permissible by the regulations.

Williams had contended that its own measuring devices had shown that it was within the limits which the FIA did not dispute, but that its own scan had proven to be different.

The floor had been among the numerous upgraded parts that Williams had brought to the first race after the summer break; the team had also introduced new sidepods and engine cover bodywork in an effort to move up the championship order.

«The Stewards heard from the team representatives of Car 23 (Alexander Albon), the FIA Technical Delegate, the FIA Scrutineer conducting the measurement of the car and the FIA Single Seater Director,» read the stewards’ report.

Alex Albon, Williams FW46

Alex Albon, Williams FW46

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

«The floor body of Car 23 was found to lie outside the regulatory volume mentioned in Article 3.5.1 a) of the FIA Formula One Technical Regulations.

«The team did not dispute the calibration of the FIA measuring system and the measurement of the car, but stated that their own measurements have produced different results.

«The Stewards determine that the result of the measurement conducted with the FIA system in Parc Ferme is the relevant one and the due process prescribed by the regulations has been followed.

«Therefore the standard penalty for such an infringement is applied.»

Williams said: «We are incredibly disappointed with this outcome and will be carrying out a thorough investigation and will provide an update soon.»

As a result, Albon will start from the back of the grid, and all drivers behind him will move up one position — Stroll will start from eighth in Sunday’s race, with Gasly ninth and Carlos Sainz 10th.

Williams also submitted a request to the stewards to allow Logan Sargeant to start, as the American’s heavy FP3 impact precluded him from participating in qualifying. This was granted, as Sargeant’s times in the earlier practice sessions were deemed to be satisfactory — per Article 39.4 in the F1 sporting regulations.

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Williams F1 upgrades can become 2025 baseline

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Williams head of vehicle performance Dave Robson believes upgrades to the team’s 2024 Formula 1 car can provide a baseline for next year’s machinery.

The Grove-based outfit has struggled to continue the strong form of last season after entering the current campaign with an overweight car as focus instead turned to upgrading its infrastructure during the winter.

While upgrades will be added to the car across the season in an attempt to make an instant step, teams are forced to strategise resource output due to F1’s aerodynamic testing restrictions and financial regulations.

This is complicated further over the next 18 months as attention begins to switch to the new-for-2026 regulations, meaning that teams may choose to sacrifice next year’s challengers to get a headstart on the new cars.

PLUS: Is the Williams revival still on track?

«It’s an interesting challenge we’ve been talking about for quite some time,» said Robson.

«There are bits of ’26 we can start to look at; not the aero side of it by regulation, but there are other things we can start to consider and that process inevitably is underway.

«The aero will come, although we’ve been able to do a little bit of aero under the TD from the FIA, they are really helping to understand the regulations. So that’s always useful to just get everyone’s mind into the 2026 game.

«Balancing the resource between not just from now, but from several months ago through the next couple of years, is going to be tricky.

Logan Sargeant, Williams FW46

Logan Sargeant, Williams FW46

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

«But obviously it’s the same for everyone and I’m sure most people will be fully focused on 2026 very quickly come the new year, and then it will be interesting then to see what people do next year.»

Expanding on how the time will be split, Robson added: «For us, there’ll be brief periods early next calendar year when the 2026 car will come out of the wind tunnel and that will give us an opportunity for the odd day or two to put the FW47 — so the 2025 car — back in.

«We’ll be looking to do that and if we can find some way of bringing performance to it without compromising the 2026 programme, then we’ll obviously look to do that.

«But I suspect that will end really quite early in the calendar year, and it will be full on from a resource and budget point of view, on the 2026 car.»

As the focus will change so early in the year, it affords the opportunity to merge the 2024 and 2025 projects together to better maximise developmental gains, something that Robson has confirmed is being explored.

He said: «It’s been an interesting one because this year’s car and next year’s car, you can largely think of as just one project.

«The work on it will finish quite early next year, and there will be a case of racing it but not doing too much with it.

«That has, partly by serendipity I suppose, allowed us to consider these big updates that will come and bring them quite late in the year, knowing that they effectively, at least inspire or become the baseline for next year’s car.

«That already starts to offload some of the work. We’ve brought some of that FW47 work forward which will allow us to concentrate on the 2026 car as soon as possible.»

Watch: What it’s like being an F1 strategist — Exclusive interview with Bernie Collins



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