Franco Colapinto executed a very solid race in Monza to climb from 18th to 12th. The 21-year-old’s race pace was very impressive, especially considering the high levels of tyre degradation at the Italian GP. James Vowles, who has received no shortage of criticism in the last week, explains how Colapinto’s simulator times motivated the decision to promote him.
Vowles: Franco Colapinto showing consistent progress, only one tenth behind Albon in the simulator
Williams encouraged by Colapinto’s potential
The Italian GP was Franco Colapinto’s first big test in Formula 1. The newly upgraded FW46 proved competitive last weekend, putting him under pressure to showcase his speed.
Overall, Williams are very satisfied with his first Grand Prix distance. Finishing 12th is a solid outing for any F1 debut, especially with this year’s clear top-four group and exceptionally high levels of reliability.
Scoring points is a tall order for midfield runners, so Colapinto can be pleased with being within touching distance of them in Monza.
When reflecting on the Argentine’s debut, James Vowles has explained why he was given a chance in F1 machinery:
“In terms of how we chose Franco [Colapinto], he’s done thousands and thousands of kilometres in our simulator.
“And we benchmark our drivers and actually put them through various tests to understand how they’re performing and how they’re improving.
“It’s not an easy trial. They’re not just developing the car and the package, but also developing themselves as well with the engineers.
“One of the aspects that’s become very clear with Franco is the huge steps of improvement. The first was around Melbourne time, and the second actually was just before we put him in the car in Silverstone [for FP1].
“And within a simulation environment – and it is a simulation environment – he’s within a tenth of Alex.
“But he’s consistently there. His consistency, in fact, is improving at the same time.”
More opportunities, more pressure
Colapinto can be relatively pleased with last weekend’s performance, but it is essentially he builds on these efforts.
Although he deserves praise for his pace in Monza, the remaining eight rounds will have more challenging tests from a driver’s perspective.
As Williams chase down Alpine in the standings, the team will turn to Colapinto to help Alex Albon close the gap.
Evidently, points are a tall order for the rookie. Then again, James Vowles would not have promoted Colapinto if he thought they were beyond him.
The Italian GP can offer Colapinto a strong foundation, but he must build upon it in the coming weeks.
Aside from raw speed, the 21-year-old must develop a resilience to the inevitable setbacks that come in Formula 1. One bad result can often trigger a difficult spell for drivers. The Argentine’s predecessor, Logan Sargeant, knows this better than most.
However, on the opposite side of the coin, confidence can be a tremendous asset for rookies. With more solid results and clean weekends, Colapinto can grow into the final third of the season.
Should he continue an upward trajectory, there is no reason why he cannot keep Albon on his toes for the rest of 2024.
