Williams driver Franco Colapint🗹o has opened up on when he was made aware he would be replacing Logan Sargeant from this weekend's Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix.

Williams announced on Tuesday following last ꧟weekend’s Dutch GP that it would be parting ways with Sargeant and replacing him with Colapinto for the remainder of the season.

It comes as Sargeant’s form in the Williams failed to improve through the 2024 campaign, with the American wrecking an updated c🐟ar in a practice crash at Zandvoort.

Williams evaluated several options anꦿd eventually chose Formula 2 rookie Colapinto, who makes his debut this weekend at Monza.

Speaking for the first time on his shock promotion, Colapinto told the media at Monza that he was as late as Monday in the simulator preparing for the F2 round when he got the call fro🌱m Williams.

“For you to imagine, Moꦺnday I was in the Formula 2 sim preparing for the race here in Monza wit♛h my team, so you can imagine how late it was,” he said.

“I don’t know when they were thinking about but it’s an opportunity that I✅ feel ready for and waiting for for so so long.

“As a young kid I was always dreaming of this coming through and happening, so today to be here speaking to all of you, it’s a pleasure and I am extremely gratefu💖l we have got this opportunity.

“It came💦 very late, of course, but although I am ready I was not expecting it, to be honest.

“I cannot explaiℱn how happy I am to✱ be here with Williams, they have been very supportive and the opportunity they have given me is insane.”

Colapinto, who took part in FP1 at Silverstone for Williams, says there wasn’t any prior discussions about thi🌼s opportunity and wasn’t something on his mind this year.

“Well, I am always ready,” he added.

“I have been a driver in the background for them for🥃 a while, I did free practice one at Silverstone and they were very happy about the performance and I think I w🅠as already in their mind from before.

“Of course, something I was not waiting, I was really focused on Formula 2 and I was trying to do my best possible for the four races I had left and preparing for the team ⛎as much as possible.

“I am very sad not to continue wiဣth them – they [MP Motorsport] have been my family for so many years, since 2020 we have been racing together, step by step, championship by championship and today I have to leave them.

“You cannot choose when you get to Formula 1 and I came at this time and 𒐪in this place, which is very special weekend here in Monza. I am🐷 super happy, to be honest and very grateful.”

Colapinto says the tea🍃m has outlined targets for him ahead of his F1 debut, thouꦿgh he didn’t reveal what those were - only what he expects of himself.

“I am a rookie and a r✤ookie in Formula 2 as well, so I am n𓆉ot expecting much,” he notes.

“As I said before, I want to go step 🥀by step and focu🥀s on myself.

“To be able to b🦋e 🐲focused on my job and be able to do what the team expects, I am, to be honest, more than sure that I can do it. So I cannot wait to jump in the car tomorrow.”