Franco Colapinto. A shadow of a Formula One flag on concrete floor.

 Elma Taric

Williams reserve driver Franco Colapinto replaced Logan Sargeant at this year’s Italian Grand Prix and has been making headlines ever since. The 21 year old Argentine Formula 1 driver is being lauded for his great performances in the latter half of the season.

Colapinto has not placed under 12th position since his debut. He has also earned Williams five points in the last four races, bumping them up to eighth in the championship standings.

However, the drivers grid is already fixed and there are only a few options left. Colapinto could find himself without a seat by the end of the year. There are only two unconfirmed seats left, but still a few pathways that Colapinto could follow.

Williams

The Williams team has already finalised their two choices. Current driver Alex Albon will remain. Carlos Sainz, a current Ferrari driver, will join after losing his seat to Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.

The likelihood of Colapinto continuing his journey with Williams next year as a Formula 1 driver is slim. However, there are certain factors that may influence this, such as performance. If either Albon or Sainz’s performances are not up to standard in 2025, Colapinto may be brought in again as a replacement—this time to stay.

Sauber/Audi

Sauber is the only team with a seat still left on the grid. With Nico Hulkenberg set to drive next year under their Audi project, that leaves only one seat available. Current drivers Valterri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are both vying to keep their place. Younger drivers such as McLaren’s Formula 2 championship contender Gabriel Bortoleto and former Formula 2 champion and reserve driver Theo Pourchaire are also showcasing their talent in a bid to get into Formula 1. Mick Schumacher, reserve Mercedes driver, is reportedly looking for a comeback. 

Throwing Colapinto into the fray expands the pool of drivers for Audi to choose from. Colapinto is a strong driver, but Audi may be more inclined to choose someone that has been in the sport longer or is a new driver with no team ties or loan conditions.

A loan in Formula 1 is when a team loans a driver to another team, on the condition that they can pull them out at whatever point (that is agreeable to both teams). Seeing as Colapinto has a long-term contract with Williams, he would be under a loan condition. This makes his bid to join other teams difficult. Any team to accept Colapinto would risk long term development or driver issues, as noted by Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko: “That’s not interesting for any team. You don’t want to train a driver for another team.”

Williams may be able to pull out Colapinto to drive for them if they needed to, unless he cuts ties with the team. This is an unlikely scenario, as Williams serves as a backdrop for Colapinto should he not join a team or is left out by one.

Visa Cash App Red Bull (VCARB)/Red Bull Racing

Speaking of Red Bull, their second seat has been in high contention this year. Almost a month ago, sister team VCARB driver Daniel Ricciardo was gunning for a return to his former team. However, he was replaced after the Singapore Grand Prix by reserve driver Liam Lawson, with Red Bull citing performance issues.

Lawson has a lot to prove in the last four races of the year. In either case, his performance could benefit Colapinto. Were Lawson to do well, he could be promoted to the second Red Bull seat. This means he would replace Sergio Perez and drive along Max Verstappen, allowing for Colapinto to join VCARB. This is contingent on Perez performing poorly until the end of the year, however.

If Lawson does not get selected, Colapinto could still join as his replacement at VCARB. If he performs well, Colapinto could be a potential candidate for the second Red Bull seat himself.

Rumours have been swirling of Colapinto’s team being in contact with Red Bull as well. Many of these rumours report that Colapinto will replace Perez. Colapinto and his driver advisor Helmut Marko have denied claims of contact. However, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was seen leaving the Williams hospitality during the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Despite Colapinto’s strong outings, Red Bull is still more likely to choose a driver from their academy. Formula 2 driver Isack Hajdar is a strong contender. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner stated Hadjar is “making a strong case for next year.” Loan conditions are also something Red Bull is considering as a factor in turning down Colapinto.

Left Without A Seat?

Colapinto himself has voiced his opinion, stating that it is ‘unlikely’ he will continue in Formula 1 next year. However, he has plans to race in 2026. He said: “I don’t have a seat for next year. And, at the moment, I’m not going to be racing in Formula 1. Probably, I’m going to be racing somewhere else. So, look, it’s gonna be maybe a year that I’m not going to be here.”

Williams team principal James Vowles clarified that if Colapinto has not found a seat by 2025, Williams has created a plan for him. Colapinto will most likely become a reserve driver, playing a key role in the factory and development of the future cars.

Final Verdict

Colapinto certainly has a future in Formula 1. It is not a matter of if he returns to Formula 1 if he cannot find a seat, but when. He has shown that he’s a capable driver. Despite his low chances now, teams are definitely paying attention to Colapinto. Only time will tell where he ends up in 2025.

READ NEXT:

Featured image courtesy of Marc Kleen on Unsplash. No changes have been made to this image. Image licence found here.

Elma Taric is a Psychology and Criminology student based in Australia. She has aspirations of working in the Criminal Justice and Journalism industries. Elma currently writes pieces on news, entertainment and sports.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *