The outstanding half of a season by the Argentinian driver Franco Colapinto has opened the eyes of many within an F1 paddock.
The current Williams driver replaced Logan Sargeant starting at the Italian GP and since then has already scored 5 points with the most impressive result being the 8th place at Azerbaijan GP.
A successful story does not end with Colapinto’s results as he managed to match Albon’s pace on multiple occasions.
As Williams has confirmed their line-up for 2025 the only other viable options for the former F3 and F2 driver is a potential seat at Sauber or at one of the Red Bull teams.
Williams’ team principal James Vowles announced that the team is doing their best to help their academy driver succeed further in F1.
“The best I can really tell you is we’re actively working with teams that are interested to try and find the right arrangement that helps Franco, that protects Franco as well and protects all parties.” – James Vowles mentioned.
Previously Williams’ team principal was criticized for the way Sargeant’s exit was handled and this seems like a good opportunity to fix his image among a portion of the F1 world.
Former Mercedes’ strategy director furthermore stated that there is no official news yet, but ‘would happily confirm if something comes on the surface’ regarding Colapinto.
“He’s doing an outstanding job on track, and as I’ve said from the very beginning, earn your position and elements will come your way. But beyond there, I think especially when we look at the fact he’s a 21-year-old, my responsibility is also towards him and making sure we do the right thing.”
However, ahead of Sao Paulo’s Sprint Qualifying session, online rumors have appeared that Franco Colapinto is in a strong position to bag the 2nd Red Bull seat, meaning that his teammate would in that case be Max Verstappen.
Red Bull’s advisor Helmut Marko also noted that he is keen on having a prospect that is Franco Colapino onboard.