With those comments picking up plenty of media coverage, Vowles made an appearance on F1 TV at Monza to clarify them, saying: “I read the headlines afterwards. What really came across is me using the word ‘special’ in the context of Mick. I really want to clarify that.
“First and foremost, I’m not here to put Mick down. Mick is in a World Championship team [Mercedes] that have chosen him as a reserve driver, and there’s good reason behind it. It’s because he’s an incredibly strong candidate.
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“The word special, I used it in the context of multiple world champions like Ayrton Senna, Lewis [Hamilton] as well. Clearly that’s a foolish thing to do, because that’s the comparison.
“Here’s where Mick is: he’s had a tough run of it, he’s made some exceptional progress and he’s in a very strong team around him. Our decision is based on the fact that we want to go with our academy and our drivers.”
