James Vowles prepared for ‘open discussion’ with Sauber/Audi about possibility of Franco Colapinto move in 2025

Williams boss James Vowles has stated that he is “very open-minded” about entering into discussions with Sauber/Audi over the possibility of Franco Colapinto racing for the team in 2025 following an impressive debut for the Argentinian driver.

Colapinto stepped up to race for Williams as of the Italian Grand Prix following the squad’s decision to replace Logan Sargeant for the final nine races of the season. Despite having little time to prepare, the 21-year-old seemed to adapt quickly and had a clean first weekend at Monza.

While a crash in FP1 at the following round in Azerbaijan was not the ideal start, Colapinto made up for that error by reaching Q3 of qualifying – putting himself into P9 – before scoring his debut points with a P8 finish in Sunday’s race, marking a double points score for the team.

Given that Williams have already secured their driver line-up for next season and beyond – with Alex Albon set to be joined by Carlos Sainz, both of whom hold multi-year contracts – there is no space for Colapinto at the squad in 2025.

However, with a seat remaining available at Sauber/Audi, Vowles has suggested that he would be happy for the team to approach him should they be interested in the young driver’s services.

Asked about how open he is to the possibility of Colapinto racing for Audi – and whether this would see the Argentinian remain part of the Williams programme or involve having to cut ties – Vowles explained: “What I've already said is he is a racing driver, and I think he's already demonstrated in just a few races that he belongs on the grid.

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - SEPTEMBER 15: Franco Colapinto of Argentina and Williams hugs James Vowles, Team — Vowles celebrated with Colapinto following the Argentinian's points-scoring performance in Azerbaijan

“What we've already said is we're very open-minded. We're waiting, in that circumstance, for Audi or Sauber to come to us and say, what do you want, what are you interested in? And from there, we can then discuss what it actually means as an implication. But the first stage is more an open discussion.”

In terms of whether Colapinto has exceeded his expectations since making his debut, Vowles commented: “Yes, in as much as… We knew he was quick, that's why we put him in the car, but expected him to take more time to get up to speed.

“In Monza, that was about what I would have hoped for, effectively, but going to a new track that you've never been to before [in Baku] and being on the pace, really, in FP1, and even after an accident, coming straight back onto the pace is a challenge, and he's very, very good at absorbing all the pressure that's on his shoulders and just delivering.”

Vowles pointed to Colapinto’s ability to stay “calm under pressure” as one of his most impressive qualities.

“It's always hard to describe what happens to these elite athletes when you step up into Formula 1,” the Team Principal said. “It's a completely different world and the pressure mounts exponentially, and he takes it all in his stride.

“You can hear over the radio, just listen to his voice. He's just incredibly calm and collected and just wants more information, more information. So it's a sign of a really good individual that's able to cope with what's happening.”

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE - SEPTEMBER 20: James Vowles, Team Principal of Williams attends the Team — Vowles says he is open to discussing the possibilities for Colapinto's future with the Audi/Sauber team

When asked if he now wishes that he had brought Colapinto into the team sooner, Vowles acknowledged that the youngster may not necessarily have performed at this level had the move happened earlier.

“It's an interesting question, because in part a lot of what we were doing with him behind the scenes is developing him ready for this opportunity,” Vowles conceded. “So Silverstone was one of the first times he got into the car and he'd made a step clearly from where we were in Abu Dhabi the previous year.

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“He made some steps across the winter. He'd made some steps in Formula 2. If we'd done this at the beginning of the year, I don't think you'd see the Franco you have today. And I think there's quite a bit of preparation that we've been doing in the simulator and otherwise to get him to the region where he is now.

“In terms of that regret, I mean, making a decision to take a driver out is one of the hardest things you can do in my position, and I had to make sure it was abundantly clear it was the right place.

“And for me, at the point where we upgraded the car and we've delivered performance with it, where it can score points, that's the right line in the sand. So from that perspective, I'm content.”