Williams F1 team summoned to HQ following official driver exit

An image of Williams and McLaren bosses James Vowles and Zak Brown — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 team summoned to HQ following official driver exit

Williams have recently lost one of their stars

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 10 January 2025 13:59 Updated: 17:05

An official team meeting has been documented via social media as one Formula 1 outfit gathers for the first time since the departure of one of their drivers.

The 2025 season is one of the most hotly-anticipated in modern history, with a plethora of driver swaps taking place following Lewis Hamilton's shock decision to join Ferrari announced at the start of 2024.

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That move saw Carlos Sainz move to Williams, and both Logan Sargeant and Franco Colapinto became displaced over the course of five months at the Grove-based outfit.

Having originally replaced the struggling Sargeant on a short-term deal, Colapinto excelled, impressing F1 team principals up and down the paddock.

Carlos Sainz has signed for Williams for 2025 and beyond

Franco Colapinto has ditched Williams for Alpine

Williams team meeting revealed

With the incoming Sainz already having signed a multi-year deal, 21-year-old Colapinto's F1 future was very much up in the air, with the Argentine facing the prospect of at least two seasons on the sidelines at Williams due to driver contracts.

However, Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore admitted earlier in the winter break that the team had their eye on Colapinto, and the 21-year-old has now signed a multi-year deal with the Enstone outfit to become their reserve driver.

With Jack Doohan set to make his full-time F1 debut with the team in 2025, the underlying expectation is that Colapinto is there to put the pressure on Doohan to perform, with the threat of a ready-made replacement behind him in the pecking order.

For Williams, it means they are left looking for a new test and reserve driver, with team principal James Vowles having already earmarked Colapinto for that role ahead of 2025.

Following some heartfelt farewell messages from the team, Williams took to social media platform X to showcase a large meeting of team members as preparations for 2025 ramp up.

Alongside pictures showing Vowles talking to his colleagues at the Grove headquarters, Williams captioned the post: "Catching up together for the first time in 2025 🙌".