The team manager of Williams views Schumacher as lacking uniqueness or extraordinary qualities.
Williams team principal James Vowles has explained why he opted against Mick Schumacher and selected Argentine Formula 1 debutant Franco Colapinto following the departure of driver Logan Sargeant. "Mick would have done a good job," Vowles stated during his media round in Monza. However, Schumacher, like Colapinto, falls under the category of "good, but not exceptional" - "we need to be honest about that."
The significant difference between the 25-year-old Schumacher, who served as a regular driver at Haas in 2021 and 2022, and the four years younger Colapinto lies in the Argentine's history with Williams. Colapinto, who last competed in Formula 2, has "logged numerous, perhaps thousands of laps in our simulator." He's already piloted the car in a free practice session this year. And based on the data, he's shown significant progress." Therefore, the team decided to "invest in the future rather than another driver."
After Williams dismissed accident-prone American Sargeant following another severe crash in Zandvoort last weekend, Schumacher, along with Colapinto and Red Bull junior Liam Lawson, was a serious contender for the remaining races. For 2025, Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz are already set at Williams. Colapinto's time, who brought a major sponsor with him, has finally come in the first row of the team.
Wolff: "Vowles will have chosen his words carefully"
"James is a smart guy. He will have chosen his words carefully," said Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff about his former chief strategist Vowles and defended Schumacher: "Mick has won Formula 2, 3, and 4. He struggled in the Haas environment. We haven't seen everything from him yet. But every team must make the best decisions for itself." Vowles did notice a development in Mick Schumacher. The son of record world champion Michael Schumacher has "improved significantly compared to his time at Haas." Schumacher is "a capable driver" who has "delivered outstanding work for Alpine, Mercedes, and McLaren."
Lewis Hamilton set the best time, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli suffered a spectacular crash in the Ferrari hometown of Monza (race on Sunday, 3 pm/CET on RTL and Sky and in the live ticker on ntv.de). Hamilton, who will be supported by the tifosi as a Ferrari driver next year, was the quickest in 1:20.738 minutes in the summer heat - but only by three thousandths of a second ahead of McLaren driver Norris, who has rekindled the WM excitement at least since his impressive victory in Zandvoort last week.
Title defender Max Verstappen in the supposedly still struggling Red Bull had to settle for 14th place, but the WM leader (70-point lead on Norris) didn't manage a fast lap. Nico Hülkenberg, on the other hand, impressed as seventh in Haas. The Argentine Franco Colapinto, who replaced Sargeant at Williams ahead of Mick Schumacher, finished in 17th place.
Friday's main topic in Formula 1 practice was the debut of 18-year-old Italian Antonelli. After ten minutes, his outing came to an abrupt end with a heavy crash, his silver arrow slamming into the tire stack sideways at high speed in the Parabolica curve.
Antonelli, now considered a top candidate to replace Hamilton at Mercedes, immediately apologized. The teenager was able to exit his wrecked vehicle under his own power.
Although Mick Schumacher showed improvement since his time at Haas, Williams opted for Franco Colapinto due to his extensive simulator experience and previous practice sessions with the team. Despite Schumacher's victories in Formula 2, 3, and 4, and his capabilities demonstrated at Alpine, Mercedes, and McLaren, Colapinto's familiarity with Williams gave him an edge for the team's future investment.
