Williams Racing has announced that it has dropped Logan Sargeant from their driver-line-up with immediate effect, and that Argentinian driver Franco Colapinto will take over the seat with immediate effect at Monza.
The dramatic switch comes just days after Sargeant made a huge mistake in practice for the Dutch Grand Prix that left his car in pieces and in flames at Zandvoort, and unable to take part in qualifying.
It seems that this was the last straw for team principal James Vowles who is reported to have reached out to his counterparts at other teams to discuss possible replacements for the hapless American.
Toto Wolff quickly ruled out loaning Kimi Antonelli, Red Bull was reportedly unwilling to release Liam Lawson, and Alpine didn't want to lose Mick Schumacher from their WEC team. Ferrari's Carlos Sainz will take over the seat in 2025.
With time running out before the Italian Grand Prix this weekend, the team have now acted decisively in confirming that they have parted ways with Sargeant and that Colapinto will make his F1 race debut alongside Alex Albon.
“To replace a driver mid-season is not a decision we have taken lightly, but we believe this gives Williams the best chance to compete for points over the remainder of the season," Vowles explained.
"We 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.
"I know that Franco has great speed and huge potential, and we look forward to seeing what he can do in Formula 1," he said. "We have just brought a large upgrade to the car and need to maximise every points-scoring opportunity in a remarkably tight midfield battle.
"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 continued. "Logan remains a talented driver and we will support him to continue his racing career for the future."
21-year-old Colapinto will become the 49th Grand Prix driver for Williams and the first Argentine driver in F1 for 23 years. He made his FP1 debut with the team at the British Grand Prix.
His F2 campaign this year has seen him secure a race win in Imola as well as podiums in the Barcelona and Austria Feature races, in addition to seven further points-scoring outings.
“It is an honour to be making my Formula 1 debut with Williams – this is what dreams are made of," said Colapinto in a press release issued by Williams on Tuesday evening.
"The team has such amazing history and a mission to get back to the front which I can’t wait to be part of." Among previous drivers for the team is Colapinto's compatriot, the great Carlos Reutemann.
"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.”
Sargeant's exit will not come as a big surprise to many in the paddock, although the timing of the announcement is. It had been widely expected that he would depart the team over the summer break before the Dutch GP.
Given the tight turnaround between back-to-back races at Zandvoort and Monza is was believed that Williams would have to wait until the following week to make the announcement to give Colapinto a chance to prepare before Azerbaijan.
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