James Vowles has explained his decision to overlook Mick Schumacher when choosing his replacement for Logan Sargeant, labelling the German as not ‘special’. Instead, Williams academy prospect Franco Colapinto got the nod, and he will make his debut in Monza this weekend.
Schumacher has been working tirelessly to find his way back onto the F1 grid, but after being overlooked by both Mercedes and Alpine, his prospects were looking bleak before Williams announced that Sargeant had been dismissed.
Immediately, the 25-year-old’s name was circulated as a potential replacement for Sargeant alongside VCARB’s Liam Lawson, but despite the best efforts of Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, Schumacher was unable to land the drive for the remainder of the campaign.
Explaining his decision, Vowles said: “Mick has improved a lot from where he was in Haas, there was no doubt about it, he’s a competent driver that I know he had his time, but he has done incredible work with Alpine, with Mercedes and with McLaren in the meantime.
“And all advocates, if you speak to them, will tell you where he’s adapted and where he’s changed. So now the decision is do we put Mick in the car? I think Mick would have done a good job.
“Or do we invest in an individual that’s a part of our academy, that’s done hundreds or thousands of laps in our simulator, that’s driven the car, the only driver to have driven the car this year in FP1 and on the data that we can see from what he’s doing and how he’s performing, he’s making significant steps.
“And so it becomes a decision, do we invest in the future, or do we invest in someone else as a result of it? I think both would fall into a category of not special. I think we have to be straightforward about this. Mick isn’t special, he would have just been good.
“I think he would come with a lot more experience than Franco does. But here’s what I believe in, what Williams believes in, and what the core values of Williams [are]. Williams has always invested in new generations of drivers and youth, and what I’ve been speaking about all the way through is the investment in the future of Williams.”
Schumacher’s hopes of securing a full-time return to F1 are now solely pinned on Audi. The former Haas racer is hoping to partner Nico Hulkenberg in an all-German line-up, although Valtteri Bottas and Gabriel Bortoleto have also been touted as options for Mattia Binotto.
