David Coulthard gives two-word verdict on Franco Colapinto’s debut with Williams at Monza

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Franco Colapinto has received huge praise for his impressive display on his Formula 1 debut at the Italian Grand Prix.

The Argentine was promoted from Formula 2 to replace Logan Sargeant at Williams for the remainder of the season. Team principal James Vowles made the decision after another disappointing outing for Sargeant at the Dutch Grand Prix.

The American’s Williams had been fitted with the team’s first major upgrade of the season which Vowles says with give them the ability to compete for points. But during practice in Zandvoort, Sargeant crashed heavily, causing him to miss qualifying and set the team back financially.

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Even Logan Sargeant’s mechanics looked fed up with him after his crash and for Vowles, that was the final straw. In 36 races for Williams, Sargeant scored just one point at his home race last season in Texas.

Several names had been mentioned in the running to take the vacant seat, including Mick Schumacher, but opted to bring up Colapinto from F2, becoming the first Argentinian driver since 2001.

David Coulthard gives two-worded verdict on Franco Colapinto’s Williams debut

Speaking on the Formula For Success Podcast, David Coulthard gave a two-worded verdict on how he felt Colapinto got on at Monza.

The Argentine qualified 18th for the Italian Grand Prix having had a moment on the gravel coming out of the second Lesmo. Martin Brundle stated that Colapinto needed to be within a couple tenths of teammate Alex Albon come the end of the weekend.

While Albon scored points with ninth place, Colapinto climbed six places to finish 12th. The 21-year-old was met with heaps of praise for his display, with Albon also being impressed by Colapinto’s debut for Williams.

And Coulthard continued that praise for the Argentine as he discussed with Mark Webber and Eddie Jordan Williams’ decision to axe Sargeant.

The Scotsman said: “I think that was a very good debut for Franco Colapinto at Williams. He’s replaced Logan Sargeant.

“Sorry for Logan but  unfortunately just too many crashes and as Mark has famously said: ‘Formula 1 isn’t a finishing school, it’s where you have to come in and deliver.”

Can Franco Colapinto keep up the momentum at Williams?

With Albon ninth and debutant Colapinto 12th at Monza, it is clear that Williams have made a huge step forward with their recent update.

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After a multitude of crashes, Williams had to make a decision on Sargeant for the benefit of the team. With the American only breaking into the top 15 three times in 2024, it is unlikely that Sargeant would have been able to match Colapinto’s result, let alone Albon’s.

Colapinto took his opportunity at Monza with both hands and put in a solid performance with the newly upgraded Williams. With eight more rounds to go, the Argentine has a great chance to impress the team’s hierarchy, which he proved that he is capable of doing.

As the F1 season heads to Baku, eyes will be on Colapinto to see if he can follow up an impressive debut at the Italian Grand Prix.