A major shock in F1: the official announcement has been made that Franco Colapinto is joining Williams, while Logan Sargeant departs from the Circus early!
The Formula 1 world is stunned on the eve of the Italian Grand Prix as Williams announces that Logan Sargeant is officially no longer an F1 driver following the incident in the Netherlands. He will be replaced by rookie Franco Colapinto, who will make his debut as an official F1 driver for the team.
Here’s what James Vowles had to say: “Replacing a driver mid-season is not a decision we have taken lightly, but we believe this choice gives Williams the best chance to score points for the rest of the season. “We have just brought a large upgrade to the car and need to maximise every points-scoring opportunity in a remarkably tight midfield battle.”
“We also believe in investing in our young drivers in the Williams Racing Driver Academy, and Franco is getting a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate what he is capable of across the final nine rounds of the season. This is undoubtedly incredibly tough on Logan, who has given his all throughout his time with Williams, and we want to thank him for all his hard work and positive attitude. Logan remains a talented driver and we will support him to continue his racing career for the future. I know that Franco has great speed and huge potential, and we look forward to seeing what he can do in Formula 1.”
And Colapinto’s response: “It is an honour to be making my Formula 1 debut with Williams – this is what dreams are made of. The team has such amazing history and a mission to get back to the front which I can’t wait to be part of. Coming into F1 mid-season will be an enormous learning curve but I am 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”, he concluded.
Photo: Williams Racing, F1
