Can Williams rookie Colapinto really do a better job than Sargeant?

Vowles clearly sees something in the data and the smiley, upbeat personality that has convinced him that Colapinto can do a better job than Sargeant over the balance of this season.

He will be a breath of fresh air for the Williams camp. At Interlagos last year he was embedded in the team as part of his preparations for the Abu Dhabi rookie test, and his enthusiasm and excitement at just being part of the F1 environment was clear to see – there was no sign of the sense of entitlement that some youngsters display when they reach the top level.

“Driving the F1 car on the Tuesday after the race in Abu Dhabi, it’s going to be a very unique moment for me, very special,” he said that weekend. “Since I started racing in go-karts when I was 10 years old, my dream was one day to be able to drive an F1 car.

“And to already have that in sight and being able to have that first test, those first few laps, is something unbelievable. I was not really thinking about it, or even expecting it, when the year started.

“Williams have been so helpful this year, to be working with them so much. It’s been an amazing opportunity to be with such an historic team, with such a big legacy in motorsport, in F1. It’s one of the things that I dreamed of since I was a kid.

“And they have been super helpful, not only driving-wise, but also on the personal aspect they have been really supportive. And I’m just very proud to be part of this team. I hope to continue this journey many more years together.”

That journey hasn’t been so easy. In his mid-teens Colapinto was dispatched to Italy to further his career, and thus had to do some growing up far from home.

“Argentina is my country since I was a little kid, I lived there until I was 14 years old,” he said in Brazil. “But it almost feels like I’m still living there, all my family are still in Argentina, in Buenos Aires.

“I left when I was 14 years old only to Italy, I didn’t know Italian, I needed to wash my clothes, I started to cook for myself. These are the sacrifices that someone makes to achieve what you want in sport.

“And of course, it’s been hard, I’ve been through many challenges. And now I’m just enjoying the moment, enjoying being at the top of motor sport, that is a sport that I love.

“Then suddenly you realise I’m in F1, and it’s something insane that two years ago, I was looking at on TV, thinking it was super far away.”

It’s not been straightforward for Colapinto in terms of securing sponsorship in his home country – there’s a reason why Argentina hasn’t had an F1 driver since Gaston Mazzacane at Prost 23 years ago.

“It’s been really hard to find the budget,” he explained. “It’s very difficult for a South American. And with the sponsors, with the economic situation of Argentina, unfortunately, it’s very difficult for my home companies to support me, because the economic situation is really bad there.

“And I’m glad that I have so much support from everyone that can do it, from everyone that can put a little bit of sand on the table, they are doing it.

“The fans have done a big thing in Argentina. Actually, many companies have called me because of them, because of the massive support that I’ve received. And they are a big part of what is happening right now.

“I think if you see any other driver, or any European driver, he’s not even getting 25 times less the support that I’m getting from my home country. So it’s something amazing to have, and I’m just very grateful to have that in my background. It’s pushing me and motivating me to continue pushing forward.”

He was full of praise for the Williams Driver Academy programme, which included sim running: “The help has been massive. This year, I grew so much as a driver, with the help of the Academy, with the help of Williams, being in the simulator and working with F1 engineers, working as well with Logan and Alex, it’s been an immense help.

“And I grew so much not only driving-wise, but also on the personal aspect, to be more professional and stuff like that. I just keep learning stuff every day after day that I’m here.”

It was also refreshing to learn that he has a proper appreciation of the sport’s history.

“I think Fangio and Senna have been the South Americans that left a big mark and legacy in our sport,” he noted. “And I just grew up with them, with the movies, with the books, with all the stories from them.

“I think in many moments I feel quite close to what happened to them, mainly to Senna. He went through I think many difficult stages, and I feel a bit representative with him, and I’d just love to understand a bit more the story, to see what he had to go through to get to F1 and to achieve so many successful moments. And it’s something that motivates me a lot to continue.”

The Abu Dhabi test went well, and strong early season F2 form contributed to Colapinto being handed an FP1 outing at Silverstone.

Usually those opportunities come later in the year, and in retrospect it can be viewed as a handy chance for the team to assess him in a higher pressure environment than the Abu Dhabi test.

“It was by far the best experience of my life,” he said after the Silverstone session. “There is only one first FP1. I’m very happy, mostly because I was able to enjoy every moment and to make the maximum out of it. I think you always have a feeling that you could have done more.

“I felt like I had much more room to improve in many, many corners. I think to be only four-tenths behind Alex, and he has so much experience in F1 and he has so much experience with the team, and he’s very well connected with the car, he has a lot of confidence, is good for me.”

That FP1 outing impressed Williams, and now it’s down to what he can achieve on track over these nine races. He knows Monza and Abu Dhabi, but the rest of the venues are new to him. The upcoming street events in Baku and Singapore, and Las Vegas later in the year, will be particularly challenging.

In some ways he has nothing to lose, as for example he’s not fighting to secure an F1 race seat for 2025, unless he does something so sensational in the coming weeks that it sparks the interest of Sauber and Audi. It will be fascinating to see what he can achieve.