James Vowles shares what he got wrong about Franco Colapinto’s Formula 1 debut with Williams

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Alpine driver Franco Colapinto is fighting for his Formula 1 future right now, but just over a year ago, he still hadn’t made his debut.

Williams have been making steady improvements ever since James Vowles took over as team principal.

Last season’s Dutch Grand Prix saw Williams bring a major update, and suddenly Alex Albon was far more competitive.

However, his teammate Logan Sargeant was yet to get off the mark, and a huge crash in practice destroyed several key components that Williams had worked so hard to build.

It was the final straw for Vowles, and Sargeant was dropped before the Italian Grand Prix, with Liam Lawson and Mick Schumacher both linked with the vacant role.

However, Williams opted for Formula 2 star Franco Colapinto, who had only taken part in one F1 practice session before heading to Monza.

The Argentinian immediately impressed, scoring points at two of his first four races, and Esteban Ocon apologised to Colapinto for stealing the fastest lap off him at the United States Grand Prix when Alpine and Williams were locked in a battle in the constructors’ championship.

Vowles has now spoken about how Colapinto’s debut came about and the mistake that Williams made before his first race.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Williams team principal James Vowles including education and net worth

James Vowles admits Williams ‘didn’t prepare’ Franco Colapinto enough for his Formula 1 debut

Vowles was speaking about the 22-year-old on the Beyond The Grid Podcast and explained: “He’s an interesting case because his performance, as you said, even at Monza was fantastic. Baku was extraordinary.

“He really did a great job of getting up to speed quickly. He did a lot of our simulator work. We saw it from the FP1.

“We didn’t prepare him anywhere near the amount that I would like to prepare a young driver, which is what I said at the time. But he absorbed it brilliantly.

“What was then interesting is he didn’t have a drive with us going forward. We’d already signed at that point, Carlos and Alex.

“So the pressure on his shoulders was I need to show the world I’m quick enough so that I earn my place in Formula 1 the following year. And then the result of that was, as you said, there were a number of instances that started popping up.

“So what’s interesting there is that the pressure he, as a human being, created on his own shoulders increased as a result of wanting more for himself in the future.

“So, more running may not have helped in that circumstance, but it does illustrate to you the pressure that these individuals go through on a daily basis. And it’s impressive how they absorb it.”

READ MORE: Who is Alpine 2025 F1 driver Franco Colapinto? Everything you need to know

Will Franco Colapinto be on the Formula 1 grid with Alpine in 2026?

Colapinto was briefly linked with Red Bull last year as they were considering replacing Sergio Perez and knew that Williams had already locked in Albon and Carlos Sainz for this season.

Instead, he ended up securing a loan move to Alpine and set his sights on Jack Doohan’s seat.

After six races, Doohan was replaced by Colapinto, although the 22-year-old didn’t represent an immediate improvement.

He’s yet to score a point in the drivers’ championship, but his most recent results have seen him get a lot closer to matching Pierre Gasly’s performances.

Sources believe Colapinto has a good chance of being retained by Alpine, with Doohan and Paul Aron also in contention.

While he may not have had the smoothest start at Williams or Alpine, Colapinto is doing enough to convince his bosses that he deserves another crack at F1 next year.