James Vowles explains why Lawson and Schumacher weren’t chosen
Following the announcement of Logan Sargeant's dismissal after yet another mistake in the Netherlands, many drivers were tipped for the Williams seat, including Liam Lawson and Mick Schumacher. However, to everyone's surprise, James Vowles decided to put his faith in his junior driver Franco Colapinto. The British engineer recently explained the reasons for this choice.
It is a missed opportunity for Liam Lawson and Mick Schumacher. While the doors of Formula 1 are closing more and more for them, the announcement of Logan Sargeant’s dismissal had revived hope for these two drivers to get the American’s seat for the rest of the season and achieve good results in order to attract the attention of teams that have not yet confirmed their second driver, such as Audi or Racing Bulls. However, the team based in Grove has already opted for a member of its young driver academy, the Argentine Franco Colapinto, currently sixth in the Formula 2 championship. A decision that Williams’ boss, James Vowles, wanted to explain.
Red Bull didn’t want to let Lawson go.
« If we look at the options available to us, there were three on the table, which you all more or less guessed », he told the media in Monza. « One was Liam Lawson, the other Mick Schumacher, and the third Franco. » The former engineer from Mercedes first mentioned Liam Lawson’s situation. The New Zealander already went through a painful experience last year when the Milton Keynes team decided to keep both Perez and Ricciardo for the rest of the season, thus closing the door to a possible arrival of the former Carlin driver.
« With Liam, the contractual situation with Red Bull would not have worked for me here at Williams, so it did not become an option for us in these circumstances. » During an interview with the Kleine Zeitung, Helmut Marko, the head of Red Bull’s young driver program, explained that the team wanted to keep him on standby for a potential replacement. Christian Horner’s team was planning to bring Lawson back if one of the four drivers in the structure couldn’t race due to an issue, but Williams decided to decline this proposal.
Colapinto’s inexperience preferred over Schumacher’s experience
On Mick Schumacher’s side, the situation is quite similar. The German saw Alpine, the team he races for in the endurance championship, decide to give the second seat to Jack Doohan, a member of their academy. Although Audi has not yet announced its second driver, the former Haas driver hoped to secure this seat to showcase his talent to the German manufacturer. For James Vowles, this choice was difficult, given the experience Mick Schumacher has gained in the various disciplines he has raced in.
« Mick has improved a lot compared to his beginnings at Haas, there is no doubt about it, he is a competent driver. He has done an incredible job with Alpine, Mercedes, and McLaren during this time. And all the fans, if you talk to them, will tell you where he has adapted and where he has changed. So now, the decision is whether we put Mick in the car. I think Mick would have done a good job. » The Briton acknowledges the talent of the German but also believes a lot in the potential of his Argentine driver, while also stating that neither of them is exceptional.
« Or, do we invest in someone who is part of our academy, who has done hundreds or thousands of laps in our simulator, who has driven the car, the only driver to have driven the car this year during an FP1, and whom the data shows is making significant progress. I think both categories would not be considered special. Let’s be honest about it. Mick is not special, he would have just been good. »
« I think he would have brought a lot more experience than Franco. But here’s what I believe, what Williams believes, and what Williams’ fundamental values are. Williams has always invested in the new generations of drivers and in youth, and what I have been talking about from the start is investing in the future of Williams. » The head of the British team therefore opted for Franco Colapinto, a way to mark its future ambitions by showing deep support for its young drivers, despite the Argentine’s inexperience in Formula 1, unlike the two other available candidates.
Also read: Franco Colapinto’s first free practice session
« And the future of Williams does not involve investing in the past. It’s about investing in talent that allows us to move forward as individuals. It’s about investing in an academy for which you will see announcements in the next six weeks or so, about how we are expanding this academy and the importance of the funding we are putting into it. And when you invest so much in the academy, you also have to align your actions with your words. »
James Vowles therefore decided to entrust the seat of Logan Sargeant to Franco Colapinto, considering that the Argentine is already ready to move up to Formula 1, a single-seater that he was able to drive this Friday during the first free practice session of the Italian Grand Prix.
