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Williams F1 team principal James Vowles has clarified his comments on Mick Schumacher, after previously describing the Mercedes reserve driver as "not special" during the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
Speaking to the media on Friday, Vowles elaborated on the decision to replace Logan Sargeant with Williams Academy driver Franco Colapinto. The 45-year-old said they essentially had three replacement options—Liam Lawson, Schumacher, and Colapinto.
Vowles explained that Lawson was ruled out due to his contract situation with Red Bull, reducing their options to Schumacher and Colapinto. He suggested that both drivers fell in the category of "not special" drivers, so the team decided to "invest in the future" by choosing the 21-year-old Colapinto.
After his comments made headlines, Vowles clarified that Schumacher wasn't in the same category as multiple world champions like Ayrton Senna or Lewis Hamilton. He acknowledged that the comparison was "foolish" and praised the 25-year-old's progress after his challenging stint with Haas.
"What really came across is me using the word 'special' in context of Mick and I really want to clarify that," Vowles told F1TV. "First and foremost I'm not here to put Mick down, Mick is in a world championship team, that has chosen him as a reserve driver and there's good reason behind it. It's because he's an incredibly strong candidate."
"The word 'special', I used it in the context of multiple world champions — like Ayrton Senna, Lewis [Hamilton] as well. Clearly, that's a foolish thing to do because that's the comparison. Here's where Mick is, he's had a tough run of it, he has made some exceptional progress and he's in a very strong team around him. Our decision is based on the fact that we want to go with our academy drivers," he added.
Vowles offered an apology to Schumacher, stating that his comments came out the wrong way and that he didn’t intend to downplay the German's abilities.
What did James Vowles say about Mick Schumacher?
Williams team principal James Vowles recently axed out-of-form Logan Sargeant after the Dutch Grand Prix. Vowles and the team decided to replace the American with their Academy driver Franco Colapinto, a rookie in the F2 feeder series.
Vowles outlined the reasons for selecting the 21-year-old Argentinian, noting that Mick Schumacher was also an option. He said that Schumacher has shown great improvement from his time at Haas, but the team ultimately decided to promote their Academy driver.
"So it becomes a decision, do we invest in the future, or do we invest in someone else as a result of it? I think both [Mick and Franco] would fall into a category of not special. I think we have to be straightforward about this. Mick isn’t special, he would have just been good," he said. [via PlanetF1.com]
Franco Colapinto, currently sitting sixth in the F2 drivers' standings, is set to make his F1 debut at Monza, driving for Williams in the remaining nine races of the season.
