F1 News
Vowles says Doohan 'should be given a chance first' after earlier comments
- Cas van de Kleut
Following the announcement of Franco Colapinto signing with Alpine as the reserve driver, there was immediate talk about Jack Doohan's seat at the French team. Colapinto's former team principal James Vowles had his own say on the matter, believing that Colapinto had a better chance of getting the Alpine seat than at Williams. Speaking at the Autosport Awards, the team boss talked about his earlier statements.
Vowles' statements led many fans to believe that the team boss was certain that Colapinto would get a seat at Alpine instead of at the British team, resulting in the move, meaning that the newly-signed Doohan, who will drive his first race with the French team this season, might be facing an early exit from the premier class.
Vowles reassesses his previous statements
However, Vowles stresses, "I think Jack should be given the time to prove himself, simple as that. I think every driver should be given that opportunity”, he said.
“If, and it’s an if, he’s not the right level, Franco is there. That’s what I mean by it (his earlier statements, ed.)."
The Williams team boss continued on by saying: "We have a great driver line-up [at Williams] for at least the next two years, so [his chance] won’t be with us. And it won’t be up and down the grid if you look at it for the most part, so it’s his best chance. I think he’s ready to step straight in. That’s an Alpine decision, but Franco as he left me, and he is fired up."
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy
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