Williams driver Franco Colapinto has opened up on when he was made aware he would be repl🧔acing 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 Sar🐓geant and replacing him with Colapinto for the remainder of the s🌃eason.

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

Williams evaluated sever💙al options and eventually chose Formula 2 rookie Colapinto, who makes his debut this weekend at Monza.

Sp♎eaking for the first time on his shock promotion, Colapinto told the ꦡmedia at Monza that he was as late as Monday in the simulator preparing for the F2 round when he got the call from Williams.

“For you to imagine, Monday I was in the Formula ꧒2 sim preparing for the race here in Monza with 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 waitin♑g for for so so long.

“As a young kid I was always dreaming of this coming through and happening, so today to be he෴re speaking to all of you, it’s a pleasure and I am extremely grateful 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 explain how happy I am to be here with Williams, they have been v🅷ery supportive and the opportunity they have given me ꩲis insane.”

Colapinto, who took part in FPꦦ1 at Silverstone for Williams, says there wasn’t any prior discussions about this opportunity and wasn’t something on his mind this year.

“Well, I am always ready,” he added.

“I have been a driv♉er 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 was already in theജir 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 for𝓰 the four races I had left and preparing for the team as much as possible.

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

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

Colapinto says the team has outli🐻ned targets for h♓im ahead of his F1 debut, though he didn’t reveal what those were - only what he expects of himself.

“I am a rookie and aꦏ rookie in Formula 2 as well, so I am not expecting much,” he notes.

“As I said befꦯore, I want to go ste🐼p by step and focus on myself.

“To be able to be 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.”