Liberty Media may have had ‘influence’ on Williams rejecting ‘obvious’ Franco Colapinto alternative

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Franco Colapinto is set to take over from Logan Sargeant from the Italian Grand Prix after Williams elected to replace the American for the remainder of the season.

It was a decision taken by the team following a heavy crash by Logan Sargeant during practice for the Dutch GP, whereby the rookie ruined the chassis of his FW46 and was forced to miss qualifying.

Williams rebuilt his car in time for the race, but he could only manage 16th place which was two spots behind teammate Alex Albon who also started from the back after being excluded from qualifying.

With the burden of being in a championship with Haas for seventh in the Constructors’ and the mounting costs of crashes in the last 12 months, it appeared the shunt in Zandvoort was the final straw for team principal James Vowles.

Williams has now turned to the talents of Franco Colapinto, who becomes the first F1 driver born in Argentina since Gastón Mazzacane in 2001. But discussing his promotion on social media, former F1 driver Tiff Needell believes there was a more obvious choice.

Tiff Needell highlights ‘more obvious’ choice over Logan Sargeant replacement

Colapinto faces a challenge when he jumps into the Williams at Monza, after Sargeant failed to score points this season and only managed it on one occasion last year.

The 21-year-old is part of Williams’ Driver Academy and was competing in F1 feeder series Formula 2 prior to his promotion.

Discussing who was the best fit for a replacement of Sargeant at the team, Needell believes there was a ‘more obvious’ candidate that stood out for him.

Speaking on X, formerly known as Twitter, Needell speculated over whether F1 owners Liberty Media influenced Williams decision.

“Do you know if $$$ are involved in the decision because surely if that isn’t a consideration their other academy man Zak O’Sullivan is a more obvious choice. Or would that be one Brit too many and Liberty have some influence in wanting a South American on the grid?” said Needell.

Franco Colapinto chosen by Williams after impressing at Silverstone

Prior to being promoted, Colapinto ran with Williams during Friday practice for the British Grand Prix in July.

Speaking during Sky Sports F1’s coverage, 2009 World Champion Jenson Button, who is also a senior advisor to the team, stressed the importance of his run and that it was more than a box-ticking exercise.

READ MORE: Who is Williams Formula 1 driver Franco Colapinto? Age, nationality, stats and more

Button remarked that he had a ‘real shot’ at a seat after he finished just six tenths off the best time set by Albon in the same session.

Given Vowles’ involvement in the Mercedes Young Driver Programme, which is responsible for bringing up Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the decision is seen as a solid one for a team looking to achieve a strong finish at the end of the season.