Williams boss addresses Doohan in major Colapinto F1 future twist

Williams boss James Vowles wishes Jack Doohan “success” at Alpine, but ultimately, he wants Franco Colapinto back on the grid.

And that is because looking longer term, Colapinto actually is being lined-up for a return to the Williams cockpit.

Franco Colapinto ‘will return to Williams’

Colapinto turned heads after stepping up from Formula 2 to replace Logan Sargeant at Williams mid-F1 2024, scoring a total of five points, though there was no space in the team’s driver line-up for the coming season, with Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon signed under multi-year deals.

With no F1 2025 opening emerging, Colapinto was announced as an Alpine reserve driver, that coming after?PlanetF1.com’s Thomas Maher?spotted Colapinto and his manager, Maria Catarineu of Bullet Sports Management, in conversation with Alpine executive director Flavio Briatore at the Qatar GP, at a time when Colapinto was looking to secure a place on the F1 2025 grid.

Colapinto’s Alpine arrival has placed immediate pressure on Jack Doohan, who having made his debut with the team early at the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP, was not guaranteed the full 2025 season to make his mark, Briatore telling Italian publication Le Parisien that: “The only thing we can be sure of is death!

“We’ll start the year with Pierre [Gasly] and Jack, I can guarantee that. After that, we’ll see as the season progresses.

“If there’s a driver who isn’t making progress, who isn’t bringing me results, I change him. You can’t be emotional in F1.”

And Williams team principal James Vowles – with the utmost respect – has increased the pressure on Doohan by branding Alpine Colapinto’s “best chance” to return to the grid, as early as F1 2025 perhaps.

However, despite being scheduled for a “number of years” at Alpine, Colapinto features in Williams’ future driver plans.

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“There’s a period of time whereby I hope he is racing for Alpine,” Vowles added, as per the New York Times.

“The reason why we did this is that I wanted him to be racing in ’25 and or ’26. The best chance he has is with Alpine, as far as getting on the grid, that’s why he’s there.

“And I don’t mean that to the detriment of Jack. I hope Jack has a successful time. But ultimately, Franco is my driver that I want back in that car. After a period, he will return to Williams. That period is not a line set in stone where I can look you in the eye and say it.

“But I can say he’ll be back to Williams at some point.”

Williams unveiled their F1 2025 challenger – the FW47 – at a Silverstone shakedown run on Friday, with Sainz given the honour of driving the first laps.

Sainz – a four-time grand prix winner – arrives from Ferrari after the team opted to sign seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes to race alongside Charles Leclerc.

Read next – MCL39 v FW47: The big differences that separate McLaren and Williams