The Williams Racing F1 team announced earlier this week it replaced American driver Logan Sargeant with Argentinian Franco Colapinto, effective immediately. Colapinto and Alex Albon, the other Williams driver, will compete for Williams during this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix and the rest of the 2024 season.
Why Williams replaced Logan Sargeant
It’s unusual, but not heard of, to replace a Formula 1 driver during the season, but Williams had to make a change. Williams Racing has participated in every F1 season since 1977. Winning nine Constructors’ Championships, Williams is second only to Ferrari’s sixteen Championships. Williams has not been competitive in recent years. When James Vowles left his position as motorsport strategy director with Mercedes-AMG Petronas to become the Team Principal of Williams Racing, he also brought on Logan Sargeant as a driver, the only American driver in F1.
Sargeant drove for Williams for the 2023 season and the first 15 races of the 2024 season, but with little success, scoring 1 Championship point in 2023 and none in 2024 through the Dutch Grand Prix. Apparently, after Logan crashed his race car with new upgrades last weekend during the third practice session, Williams Team Principal James Vowles decided he could no longer wait for Sargeant to produce and had to bring on a different driver.
“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,” Vowles said in a Williams statement on Tuesday.
Introducing Franco Colapinto
Earlier this week Franco Colapinto was a Williams Driver Academy competing in his first season as an F2 driver. With one win and two other F2 podium finishes for this season, Colapinto was in sixth place for the F2 Driver Championship. Colapinto has also had success in other junior single-seater racing.
Colapinto had already planned to travel to Williams Racing headquarters in England for Williams Acadamy functions when he learned he would meet with Vowles. With the recent upgrades in the Williams F1 race cars and a new driver in one of them, it will be very interesting to see if Williams is able to finish higher in the standing for the remainder of the 2024 F1 calendar.
Colapinto doesn’t have a seat with Williams for the 2025 season. Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz signed to drive for Williams for the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
