James Vowles issued a grovelling apology to Mick Schumacher at Monza, after stating that the 25-year-old German is not a "special" driver.
The Williams boss was explaining to the media on Friday why he opted to replace Logan Sargeant with rookie Franco Colapinto rather than Mercedes reserve Schumacher.
"If we had put Mick in the car, he would have done a good job, no question," said Vowles. "We think he is good, but not special. Like Logan Sargeant. We have to be completely honest about that."
While it’s true that Schumacher has also been overlooked by other prospective Formula 1 teams for a 2025 comeback, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admits Vowles words were blunt.
"James is a strategist who sometimes says things very bluntly," Wolff told Sky Deutschland. "It was a statement he probably could have kept for himself.
"Mick has won everything there was to win. Formula 4, 3 and 2," said the Austrian. "Then he operated in an environment under Gunther Steiner, which is of course brutally tough. That was not what he needed to develop further as a driver.
"He deserved a chance and if you don’t give it to him, you shouldn’t comment on it like that," Wolff added.
Vowles admits that when he saw his words reproduced in the media, he was shocked how badly they came across.
"It was a stupid word," he told Sky Deutschland when faced with German reporters asking why Schumacher is not regarded as ’special’. "It’s what I said, but I was shocked when I read it. I’m not here to put Mick down.
"’Special’ for me is a multiple world champion - Lewis Hamilton, Ayrton Senna level. But it may have hurt Mick and that was not my intention at all.
"So I am also here to apologise to Mick," Vowles added. "He is still a good friend. I tell everyone not to doubt Mick, but I have to make decisions for Williams."