I was the first to be surprised by the Colapinto choice as he doesn’t have a standout junior record, but thinking about it as a statement makes it make more sense. Vowles is signalling that Williams is not going to be a small team doing favours for others and giving free practice to the upcoming stars of Merc et al anymore. They want to become a big, proper team, and to do that they need to show value in their own academy to attract future prospects.
Williams will be running two RB juniors next year, at the expense of two of their own junior drivers.
Neither Albon nor Sainz is an RB junior – they were RB juniors.
Yes, that is their short term - employing the best two drivers available to them. Giving Colapinto the nod is a signal for the long term. You have to balance both, it’s not like the Williams academy is bursting at the seams with the 5 next Verstappens.
I don’t disagree with him, but James has been spicy recently
I think that is usual him, it’s just in the past he was talking more about the organization, the engineering, and other abstract things instead of person he has just fired.
“Which is why we are cutting our own junior driver for a RB drop out.”
Vowles is trying so hard to be Steiner and it’s just as off putting.
Wow James is on a roll today!
He isn’t wrong but at the same time that’s doing a disservice to not only Mick but also someone like Alex who has made his comeback run with Williams after being tossed around at Red Bull…
For all the calls to put Mick in the seat I’d ask why Toto, an often vocal supporter of getting Mick back on the grid, hasn’t filled the Mercedes vacancy with him? I think the truth many fans don’t want to accept is that the team principles just don’t rate him as highly as the fans do, even with his success in other series.
In a way it’s sad but it’s the nature of F1.
Vowels is locked and loaded:
