Williams Racing have announced that their Driver Academy member Franco Colapinto will race in place of Logan Sargeant for the remainder of the 2024 season, starting right away with this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.
Colapinto made his FP1 debut for Williams earlier this year at the British Grand Prix and has a F2 feature race win in Imola under his belt along with a couple of other podium finishes.
Sargeant, the first-ever American driver to score a point in F1, had joined the team at the start of last season. After two underwhelming campaigns, however, Williams have decided to drop the 23-year-old.
Sargeant was already on his way out of Williams at the end of this season, with Carlos Sainz already confirmed to be taking his seat from next season onwards.
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Franco Colapinto said:
“It is an honour to be making my Formula 1 debut with Williams – this is what dreams are made of. 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.”
Speaking about Logan Sargeant’s departure, James Vowles, Team Principal, Williams Racing, added:
“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. We have just bought 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.”
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