Wolff disputes Vowles’ view on Mick Schumacher, seeking clarity from the Williams F1 director.
Mercedes F1 boss, Toto Wolff, has stated that his Williams counterpart, James Vowles, should have refrained from commenting that Mick Schumacher was not a “special” driver in Formula 1.
Schumacher and Red Bull’s reserve driver, Liam Lawson, were both immediate options to replace Logan Sargeant. However, Lawson’s contractual obligations with Red Bull thwarted a potential loan deal, seemingly paving the way for Schumacher.
Nevertheless, Vowles decided against employing Schumacher’s services, as Williams announced that Franco Colapinto would finish the last nine races.
Vowles clarified that Schumacher not being a “special” driver influenced his decision.
When asked about Vowles’ remarks, Wolff, whose team has used Schumacher as a reserve driver for the past two seasons, was not particularly pleased.
“I’ve known James for such a long time, and he is a brilliant mind settling into his role as a team director. And I think, you know, he would choose his words. Mick is someone who has won just about everything. F4, F3, F2. He was, I suppose, crushed in the Haas environment. And we haven’t seen that ourselves. But each team must make its own decisions.”
“And for the best interest of the team, and also to decide on the manner in which it wishes to speak about its drivers in the media. Therefore, everyone must do it in a way they think is right.”
“Now, regarding the word ‘special’… I have, of course, known James for many years, he’s a strategist. Sometimes, he is too direct in his statements. That was a remark he could have done without.”
“Again, Mick has won everything from F4 to F3 to F2, and of course, he was with Guenther [Steiner], who is exceptionally tough and that might not have been what he needed to develop as a driver.”
“That’s why he deserved his chance. If you’re not going to give it to him, you shouldn’t be making comments about it, you should let everyone live. That’s my view.”
But since his unappreciated comment, James Vowles has made efforts to clarify matters.
“What really came out is that I used the word ‘special’ in the context of Mick and I really want to clarify that. First and foremost, I’m not here to denigrate Mick.”
“Mick is part of a World Championship team that chose him as their reserve driver and there’s a good reason for that, because he’s an incredibly strong driver.”
“The word ‘special’, I used it in the context of several world champions—like Ayrton Senna and Lewis as well. Obviously, that was a foolish thing to do in terms of comparison.”
“Here’s where Mick stands, he’s had a tough time, he’s made exceptional progress and he’s in a very strong team around him. Our decision is based on the fact that we want to go with our academy and our drivers.”
“I’ve also apologized to Mick. He didn’t ask for anything, but it’s important to me because he’s incredibly close to me and it went completely wrong.”
“More than anything, I wanted that to be very clear. Do not doubt his capabilities, but we, at Williams, need to rely on our academy and that’s what we’re doing.”
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Williams Director Vowles Clarifies Schumacher Comment Williams Director Vowles Clarifies Schumacher Comment. f1 2024 Williams Director Vowles Clarifies Schumacher Comment
