Logan Sargeant has been dropped by Williams for the rest of the 2024 season, and the team will promote junior driver Franco Colapinto into its second race seat.
The American’s future has been under scrutiny for a number of months and it was confirmed before the summer break that Carlos Sainz will take his seat full-time from 2025. However, after a heavy crash in FP3 at the Dutch Grand Prix, Williams moved to line up potential replacements and has selected Argentinian rookie Colapinto to race for the rest of the year.
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“To replace a driver mid-season is not a decision we have taken lightly, but we believe this gives Williams the best chance to compete for points over the remainder of the season,” team principal James Vowles said. “We have just brought a large upgrade to the car and need to maximize every points-scoring opportunity in a remarkably tight midfield battle.
“We also believe in investing in our young drivers in the Williams Racing Driver Academy, and Franco is getting a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate what he is capable of across the final nine rounds of the season.
“This is undoubtedly incredibly tough on Logan, who has given his all throughout his time with Williams, and we want to thank him for all his hard work and positive attitude. Logan remains a talented driver and we will support him to continue his racing career for the future.
“I know that Franco has great speed and huge potential, and we look forward to seeing what he can do in Formula 1.”
Sargeant leaves Williams with a record of one point from 36 starts since making his debut in 2023. Colapinto is currently sixth in the Formula 2 championship in his rookie season.
Colapinto becomes the first Argentinian to race in F1 in 23 years, and will take over from Sargeant with immediate effect, starting with this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix in Monza.
“It is an honor to be making my Formula 1 debut with Williams – this is what dreams are made of,” Colapinto said. “The team has such amazing history and a mission to get back to the front which I can’t wait to be part of. Coming into F1 mid-season will be an enormous learning curve but I am up for the challenge, and I’m fully focused on working as hard as I can with Alex and the team to make it a success.”