James Vowles says Williams is suffering from being out-developed rather than driver performance, as he adds on Franco Colapinto.
The F1 2024 season started for Williams with hope and momentum that would take the team forward. However, that quest has hit a roadblock as they are being out-developed by the likes of Haas and Visa Cash App RB – even Alpine to some extent.
Williams sits well behind the former two teams in the standings, while they are barely ahead of the latter in a closer tussle. Amid this low, they are also to make a driver decision to partner Alexander Albon going forward in 2025 and beyond.
Several names have been linked to potentially replacing Logan Sargeant, but Vowles notes that for now Williams is not thinking about drivers whether in the middle of the season or beyond because their focus is improving their car.
“We’re continually evaluating it,” said Vowles when asked if there will be a change mid-season. “What we’ve said to Logan is it’s a meritocracy. You have to make sure you earn your place in the sport continuously. That’s been the same message that has been for 18 months really for him. And we are open-minded to things.
“What I’ve said before and I’ve maintained today, is that our car, and this is a responsibility on my shoulders and the team, isn’t quick enough. It’s not a driver issue we suffer from today. We’ve simply been out-developed and we have to make sure we accelerate that process,” summed up Vowles, who was again asked about Carlos Sainz.
The Brit has made public push to have the Spaniard in the team but he is facing competition from others too. Vowles reiterates his thoughts about Sainz but he is not all pinned on the current Ferrari driver and that he has other plans too.
“I mean, I’ll go back to, he’s a world class driver,” said Vowles. “So the decision isn’t imminent. It’s not today that we need to make it. But what I’ve said all along is actually the timeline is less important to me. What’s more important is that whatever decision we come to or the driver comes to, it’s about forging a long-term relationship with each other – i.e. both see the journey we’re on and want that to be a part of their lives.
“I’m fairly sure you’ll see all this cleared up before we get to September. That’s the normal time. If you look at a normal routine, we’re actually just now going back into what is a normal schedule where August is spent doing contracts. But I’m pretty sure you’ll find it all cemented by then.
“Fundamentally, yes [I have a Plan B]. Simple answer to it. I think we’re on about Y or Z by now, just to be clear. But no, there’s a lot of moving parts to it. More than the world will see, but it will all make sense, I think, once it fans out,” summed up Vowles, who also had high praise for its Williams academy driver Colapinto.
The Argentine got his first FP1 chance with Williams in Silverstone, which Vowles notes was fairly routine reward for a solid F2 season thus far. “I think, first of all, the FP1 was sort of a reward for a very strong Formula 2 season,” he said. “I like recognising that we have a strong young driver programme.
“We invested in Logan and we’ll continue to invest in our young driver programme, simple as that. It’s expanding quite significantly in the background. And today wasn’t a showcase or demonstration or a test. It was simply reward for a good progression. And we have to do two FP1s in the season. It’s sensible to do it here at Silverstone.
“I didn’t expect it to be wet then dry then wet but anyway, that’s Silverstone as well for you. I believe that you really can burn a driver if you put them in the car too soon. And actually in modern day Formula 1, what you’re seeing is rookies are struggling as a result of things.
“So it’s not just about excellent, you’ve done a fairly good Formula 2, you got a podium. Actually our investment, our commitment to them has to be an amount of time in a historic car, an amount of time with preparation to make sure that if we choose them to go forward, they’re effectively in the strongest place they can be. And we haven’t provided that to Franco at this point.”
Here’s last on the driver market
Here’s Williams pair on British GP
Here’s Williams pair testing in Silverstone
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