Mercedes boss Toto Wolff hoped Mick Schumacher “gets a chance” before Williams announced Franco Colapinto
Toto Wolff rooted for Mick Schumacher days before James Vowles announced Franco Colapinto as Williams F1's new driver. The Mercedes boss hoped for an opening for the German driver on the British team, but in the end, it all came down to Vowles' choice, Wolff has affirmed.
Williams announced Colapinto as Logan Sargeant's replacement at the Grove-based team with immediate effect. The mid-season change was made following Sargeant's back-to-back underwhelming performances in 2024.
His massive crash during the recently concluded Dutch Grand Prix's practice session added to the woes of the American driver's already wretched season. As a result, Sargeant, who made his F1 debut in 2023, had to make way for the F2 race winner after one and a half years at Williams.
Wolff, however, hoped Mick Schumacher would get a chance before the decision was finalized. But that did not happen and the former Haas driver's prospective return to F1 fell apart once again. Speaking about this, the Silver Arrows boss told the New York Times:
"We haven’t seen the real Mick Schumacher,” pointing out his championship success in the junior racing series. “I think he deserves a chance. If the opportunity would be at Williams, it’s something that we would be cheering for. But it’s James Vowles’s decision.”
Schumacher lost his F1 seat at the end of the 2022 season when Haas sacked him after two underwhelming seasons. The 25-year-old failed to live up to the expectations set by the team and was dropped to bring Nico Hulkenberg in.
The German ace scored no points in the 2021 season but had 12 points to his name in 2022. However, that was less than half of what Kevin Magnussen, his then-teammate, amassed. In a nutshell, Guenther Steiner and Gene Haas lost confidence in Schumacher. As a result, they showed him the way out.
James Vowles explains Franco Colapinto's appointment over Mick Schumacher
As Williams appointed Franco Colapinto, an F2 driver with MP Motorsport, and a Williams Driver Academy member, James Vowles opened up on why the British team took the drastic step to change a driver mid-season. In a report published by Williams Racing, Vowles said:
"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 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."
Colapinto will join Alex Albon at Williams and make his F1 debut in the upcoming 2024 Italian Grand Prix at Monza. The Grove-based team is currently in P9 in the Constructors' Championship with 4 points after 15 races.