Williams has booted Logan Sargeant out of the team on the eve of the Italian GP and replaced him with its Argentinian young driver Franco Colapinto.
Sargeant’s position has been under threat for some time and his huge crash in FP3 at Zandvoort – which destroyed a car fitted with the latest upgrades – was the final straw.
The team was actively speaking to rival teams about loaning a driver from Monza onwards, with Liam Lawson of Red Bull and Mick Schumacher of Mercedes the obvious candidates.
The call is tough on Sargeant given that he misses the two US races in Austin and Las Vegas, but the team sees scoring points within this season as vital.
“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,” said James Vowles.
“We have just brought a large upgrade to the car and need to maximise every points-scoring opportunity in a remarkably tight midfield battle. We also 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.
“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.
Logan remains a talented driver and we will support him to continue his racing career for the future. I know that Franco has great speed and huge potential, and we look forward to seeing what he can do in Formula 1.”
F2 star Colapinto drove for the team in the Abu Dhabi test last year, and again in FP1 at Silverstone in July.
“It is an honour to be making my Formula 1 debut with Williams – this is what dreams are made of,” he said.
“The team has such amazing history and a mission to get back to the front which I can’t wait to be part of. 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.”
