James Vowles provides latest update on potential Franco Colapinto to Audi move

James Vowles said he is “open-minded” to Franco Colapinto joining Sauber but admitted the “interest is rather small” from the Swiss outfit.

With Liam Lawson expected to take Daniel Ricciardo’s seat at VCARB , Stake are now the only constructor left with a seat yet to be filled. Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu continue to battle it out for the chance to partner Nico Hulkenberg next year but there is also the possibility the team will go for an outside name.

James Vowles ‘open-minded’ to Franco Colapinto Audi move

Bottas is thought to be among the frontrunners for the seat but his bargaining chip of experience was lessened with the signing of 37-year-old Hulkenberg, which was confirmed in April.

Five months later and the German still does not know who will be the car alongside him next season but one name that has emerged as an outside bet is Franco Colapinto, with the Williams junior impressing in his short F1 career so far.

Vowles told German publication Blick that interest from Sauber for Colapinto was “rather low”, but the Williams boss said he would be “open-minded” to a move.

“What I’ve already said is he is a racing driver, and I think he’s already demonstrated in just a few races that he belongs on the grid,” Vowles said in the run up to Singapore.

“What we’ve already said is we’re very open-minded. We’re waiting, in that circumstance, for Audi or Sauber to come to us and say, ‘what do you want, what are you interested in?’ And from there, we can then discuss what it actually means as an implication. But the first stage is more an open discussion.”

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Such a move would be a snub of Sauber’s own academy products with 2023 F2 champion Théo Pourchaire unable to get a look in.

Another name linked to the seat is Gabriel Bortoleto, who has been a member of the McLaren academy since 2023. Vowles’ McLaren counterpart Andrea Stella said he would not step in the way if Audi came calling,

“If [Mattia] Binotto came to me, when you have such a talent, definitely, you’re not going to stop him having a chance in Formula 1,” Stella said.

“At the same time, we will be definitely interested in finding a way to keep him in the McLaren family, because I think he’s a talent that in the future, could be important for McLaren.

“We are safe for the long term with our two drivers, we couldn’t be any happier, but definitely we would like to keep him in the McLaren family, but I’m sure we could find a solution.”

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