James Vowles Offers Franco Colapinto Verdict After Debut F1 Run

Saajan Jogia | Sep 6, 2024

James Vowles - Williams Racing / Williams Racing Press Image

Williams team principal James Vowles gave a promising assessment of Franco Colapinto's Formula 1 debut at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. The F2 driver stepped in to replace Logan Sargeant for the remainder of the 2024 season before Carlos Sainz takes over the seat in 2025.

Currently ranked seventh in the F2 championship, Colapinto qualified 18th on Saturday due to an error but recovered to finish 12th in the Italian Grand Prix. He ended just three positions behind teammate Alex Albon, closely matching the Thai-British driver's pace throughout the race.

Speaking to Motorsport.com, Vowles revealed that the 21-year-old Argentine got everything correct in the race weekend except the mistake in qualifying. If it wasn't for the error, he could have finished within the points by starting in a better position. He said:

"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.

"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."

The team principal was pleased with his result, particularly because of the amount of pressure Colapinto could withstand. He added:

"Part of the reason why he's in the car is his ability to cope with immense amounts of pressure.

"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 added that there was evidence which suggests Colapinto is "faster than people realize." He explained:

"What I drove back to is this: he's faster than people realise.

"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.

"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."

When asked how realistic it would be to start expecting points from Colapinto, Vowles answered:

"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."