Verstappen and Norris in shadow of two Mercedes drivers at Monza

Barely 10 o'clock; James Vowles, Williams' team principal, was having a cappuccino in his motorhome. Where the average barista makes a nice little shape in the foam, Vowles' cup showed the words Williams Racing. Just as the Briton was about to take a first sip, he was asked a question that was to be expected in itself: why did you choose Franco Colapinto to replace Logan Sargeant and not Mick Schumacher? The answer was more surprising, however, as Vowles put his mug back on the table in front of him.

'Mick Schumacher not special'

To cut a long answer short for convenience: "[Mick Schumacher] would fall into the category of good, not special." Incidentally, a qualification that Vowles also used for the newly appointed Colapinto (a nice way of expressing confidence in someone), this time adding that Colapinto at least came from in-house training and who knows how much more perks Williams could have from the Argentinian? Financially anyway, as Vowles indicated that the phone is now red hot, so many Argentine companies suddenly want to sponsor Williams at "market rates". In short, no change.

It was no secret that Mercedes would have liked Schumacher and not Colapinto to have been given the chance by Williams. That the British chose the Argentinian, c'est la vie. But there was some irritation in the Mercedes camp at the way Vowles didn't choose Schumacher. Later in the day, Toto Wolff, asked by GPblog addressed Vowles' words and visibly bit his tongue. "It is up to each team principal to decide how they talk about their drivers and others in public," Wolff said in a chilly tone.

Antonelli crashed in FP1

During that press conference in a scorching hot room in Monza - right next to the toilets for everyone in the paddock - there was another subject that demanded Wolff's attention: Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The Italian, who will be announced as the second driver alongside George Russell for '25 this weekend, crashed his future teammate's borrowed car during his very first FP1. The damage was considerable and Russell was only able to take part in FP2 after waiting more than 20 minutes.

Was this the sign that an appointment of Antonelli was the wrong one? Did Wolff still have the receipt? It has to be said: the team principal parried all questions with verve. After all, his ideology even after the crash was: Better someone who goes straight to the limit, than someone who does not show his speed. Wolff did not mention the name of Max Verstappen, but at the time he was a great example of someone who immediately pushed the limits - and as a result regularly flew off in his early years. See what has now become of this young man from the Netherlands.

Red Bull on track at Monza

Well, probably someone who, after a debacle at Zandvoort last week, has a good chance of winning again at Monza. Helmut Marko's smile actually gave away everything: Yes, Red Bull was back on track and the rest of the weekend is going to be interesting, was the message from Red Bull Racing's Austrian advisor. In short, it's bound to be a great battle with Lando Norris in his McLaren.