Colapinto pushed Albon to raise his game – Vowles

In brief

Colapinto pushed Albon to improve – Vowles

Vowles said the decision to promote Colapinto to the team in place of Logan Sargeant had three positive effects, including pushing Albon to raise his game.

“First and foremost, just in character, [Colapinto] is an individual that loved every moment of being in the Formula 1 car and a part of the team,” said Vowles in a video produced by Williams. “You can see that in what he was expressing to the world, what he was saying on TV and how he was over the radio. It helps because you have a team really bonded together, providing the opportunity to an individual that deserved his chance and deserves to be in Formula 1.

“Second of all, it pushed Alex. There’s no doubt about it. We moved forward as a team because we’re finding different areas of trying different set-ups, different electronic tools, different ways of approaching the lap. And every driver in the world, every human being in the world, becomes better by being challenged. And ultimately, Franco brought back to the team.

“Finally, what we saw is that we have a great future behind us. We have an academy that’s flourishing in the background, and Franco is a brilliant member of it. But we have many, many more, much younger, down to 10 years old. But the Williams Academy is real, it’s genuine, and we will put those individuals in the car. And Franco represents that.”

Crawford quickest in F2 test

The session was stopped once after Christian Mansell spun his Rodin car in the section underneath the hotel.

US F1 TV figures fall short of 2022 record

Formula 1 set its seventh US viewership record of 2024 in its final race at Abu Dhabi, ESPN reported. The season finale attracted an average of one million viewers.

However the average viewership for the entire season across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC was 1.1 million, slightly down on its 2022 record of 1.2 million.

Norris helmet raised £43,000 for charity

Lando Norris’s special Hungarian Grand Prix helmet raised £43,001 when it was sold at auction. The money will be shared by the Hungarian Federation of Blind and Partially Sighted and the UK’s Royal Society for Blind Children.

Links

Alonso 'still dreaming' of third world title (BBC)

'I know 2026 is probably my only chance because 2025 is extremely difficult, but I am still dreaming.'

F1 South African Grand Prix 'going to happen' as government chief provides Kyalami update (The Mirror)

'However, F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali, who has also voiced a desire for the sport to add an African event to its schedule, met McKenzie at September's Azerbaijan Grand Prix and that has encouraged the government official enough to now make a bold statement about the future.'

Evans recounts his brilliant last-to-first recovery drive in Sao Paulo (Formula E)

'Starting from last I saw quite a bit, but I had an amazing first two laps as I made up 10 places. That really changed the dynamic of my race.'

Over 85% of sports journalists say online abuse is threatening freedom of the press (FIA)

'Misogyny was identified as the most common form of abuse, followed by sectarianism, racism, and attacks on physical appearance.'

We always endeavour to credit original sources. Got a tip for a link relating to single-seater motorsport? Please send it to us via the contact form.

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Social media

Notable posts from X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and more:

DRIVER ANNOUNCEMENT🚨
Italian Team, Italian driver. We are excited to welcome Matteo De Palo to our @FRegionalAlpine Team for the 2025 season.
Benvenuto nel Team! 🤝💙#Trident #FRECA pic.twitter.com/uNuzD8PdPD

— Trident Team (@trident_team) December 11, 2024

The 2025 #FOS theme has finally been revealed! ‘The Winning Formula – Champions and Challengers.’ The 75th anniversary of the Formula One World Championship will be the core of the event’s celebrations, and we at #FOS are also looking forward to welcoming competitors from every… pic.twitter.com/DInIUng93l

— Goodwood FOS (@fosgoodwood) December 11, 2024

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

• Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory

Comment of the day

Charles Leclerc’s first lap in Abu Dhabi was impressive, but Alesici reckons Fernando Alonso’s at the start of the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix was even better:

He kept diving into corners at insane speed and just as he looked certain to slide off onto the grass, the car suddenly gripped on the very outside, catapulting him past the other cars.

It wasn’t a case of cars skidding off, nor them all queueing up on the inside to allow him to zoom past all of them under braking (both of which Leclerc benefitted from). It was just perpetual exquisite judgement in the fiercest of tests.
Alesici

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Andrew Hey, Christian Andrade, Rigi and Topher Smith!

On this day in motorsport

• 65 years ago today Jack Brabham won the world championship for the first time and Bruce McLaren took his first win in F1’s only race at Sebring