Williams team principal James Vowles has explained a "heart-of-hearts" wish that resulted in him spurning rookie Franco Colapinto for next season and instead opting for Carlos Sainz.
Before the recent summer break, Williams finally confirmed its coup signing with Sainz who had spent months mulling over his future after being informed in January he would be making way for seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton in 2025.
Just over a week after that break had concluded, and in the wake of a disappointing Dutch Grand Prix weekend in which Logan Sargeant was involved in another soul-destroying crash, Vowles opted to axe the American and hand Academy product Colapinto an opportunity.
With Sainz and Albon the Williams partnership for next season, the future beyond this year for Colapinto is uncertain. Heading to another single-seater category is likely to prove enormously difficult for the 21-year-old Argentinian after a nine-race cameo in F1.
Asked by RacingNews365 whether Colapinto was on his short-list when he considered the second seat for 2025, Vowles replied: "There was a list, and he was definitely part of the list."
As to why Colapinto was passed over, Vowles added: "I need someone, and Carlos brings this in spades, who is not just here performing the best they can with the car they have available but actually driving the development of the team and what's around them. He's one of the best on the grid for it.
"For Williams, in the next few years with the history, that's what we need to be doing. We need two drivers pushing the team forward, such that we can then have - and this is what I really want, in my heart of hearts - a team where we can bring in drivers like Franco and give them the right platform.
"So answering your question, [he was] a consideration, but our journey for the next few years, and it could be up to four years, is a regrowth, and for me, I need a leader and a performance-driven machine, and Carlos is all of those things."
Colapinto 'faster than people realise'
Colapinto, following an unerring moment in qualifying when he almost lost his car after touching the gravel, delivered a superb Italian Grand Prix drive to finish 12th after starting 18th, offering a glimpse of what is to come.
It was, however, a relatively easy introduction to F1 given the simple nature of Monza compared to the upcoming street circuit double-header of Baku and Singapore, the latter often referred to as the toughest race on the calendar.
Given the difficulties Colapinto will encounter, as to whether Vowles considered those before opting his up-and-coming driver, he said: "It featured in it but what I drove back to is this - he's faster than people realise. It's something I commented on, but you need to watch it for yourself and see it for yourself.
"It's based on what he did in Silverstone [in a first practice outing] and what he's been doing in the simulator, which sometimes doesn't always correlate.
"But with him, there was good evidence to suggest as much, and that being the case, I would still say that I've every reason to be encouraged how he's going to perform in Baku and Singapore and all the remaining tracks.
"That's because one of his features, one of the things he's very strong at, is translating that theoretical world to the real world.
"So it featured in there, no doubt about it but I believe, and we believe, in investing in...I was a graduate once and someone invested in me, and if you invest in the right individuals who have the right backing, you'll be surprised what you get out the back."
Most read
In this article
Join the conversation!