Franco Colapinto must pass a fitness test before he can take part in the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Colapinto crashed out of qualifying in a 50G impact.
That triggered an automatic visit to the medical centre for the Williams driver. The team have since confirmed he will require further checks to determine whether he’s in a condition to race.
Colapinto outqualified Alex Albon on merit for the first time since he replaced Logan Sargeant at the end of August. But at the end of Q2, he tagged the wall on the entry to turn 15 and slammed into the barriers on the exit.
James Vowles had urged Colapinto to be careful after a horrendous weekend in Sao Paulo. Williams amassed seven figures’ worth of damage on Sunday alone.
Albon damaged his car so severely in qualifying that he couldn’t start the race, while Colapinto crashed out in both qualifying and the race. The Argentine was naturally pushing flat out in Las Vegas as he looked to reach Q3, but he misjudged his turn-in point, which could have huge repercussions.
The mechanics face another enormous repair job overnight. Williams have spare parts available, but at best the car looks set for a pit-lane start given the extent of the necessary changes.
Mick Schumacher the standout option for Williams if Franco Colapinto ruled out of Las Vegas Grand Prix
If Williams can rebuild their car but Colapinto doesn’t pass FIA medical checks, then Mick Schumacher is the logical replacement. Schumacher is already present in Las Vegas as part of his Mercedes reserve role.
The German is available to Mercedes’ three engine customers – McLaren, Aston Martin and Williams. He carried out a test for McLaren during the summer.
He already has two seasons and 43 races of experience in Formula 1, having raced for Haas in 2021 and 2022. They could be confident of a solid performance.
Lance Stroll was the last driver to miss a race as a result of injuries sustained in a qualifying session. He crashed heavily during the Saturday running at last year’s Singapore GP and was too ‘sore’ afterwards.
Why Mick Schumacher racing for Williams would be awkward for James Vowles
Colapinto didn’t seem to be dealing with any immediate after-effects as he got into the medical car. But the severity of the impact shouldn’t be overstated.
For reference, Max Verstappen’s 2021 Silverstone crash clocked 51G. The Red Bull had to go to hospital for checks afterwards.
More worryingly, Verstappen experienced vision problems for months. Of course, every case will be different.
Earlier this year, Vowles received a backlash after saying Schumacher wasn’t ‘special’. He’d overlooked the 25-year-old in favour of Colapinto when he dropped Logan Sargeant, and while he apologised for his remarks, it would be a rather awkward marriage of convenience.
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