Franco Colapinto has impressed at Williams in his brief spell in Formula 1, but reality may have set in at the last few races.
The Argentine has performed considerably better than Logan Sargeant since he replaced the American at the Italian Grand Prix.
This can be proven simply by the fact that Colapinto scored five points in his opening four races – four more than Sargeant managed in 36 Grand Prix with Williams.
The 21-year-old has been close to teammate Alex Albon in pace and has put the Thai driver under some pressure. But being a rookie, it is natural for Colapinto to have some off moments.
At the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Colapinto and Albon crashed heavily in qualifying – with the latter unable to get out for the race due to the substantial damage caused to his car. Colapinto’s car was fixed in time, but in the torrential rain – which he had never driven in before in F1 – he suffered another huge crash that brought out the red flag.
Franco Colapinto’s manager blames Williams for ignoring his cries for wet tyres before his Sao Paulo crash
At the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Williams team principal James Vowles urged Colapinto to ‘take more care’ after the team had suffered significant financial damages after Sao Paulo. But in qualifying, the Argentine crashed again in a 50G impact.
Some of Colapinto’s mechanics were in tears after seeing him in the wall as they were faced with the mammoth task of fixing his car in time for the race. Williams even had to borrow Aston Martin parts to fix the car, but they managed to get the FW46 on track for Sunday’s race, where Colapinto finished 14th.
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It has been a challenging last two races for the Argentine, which is to be expected from a rookie in F1. But speaking with Motor Sport Magazine, while he concedes the Las Vegas crash was Colapinto’s fault, his manager Jamie Campbell-Walter criticised Williams for not listening to the 21-year-old’s calls for wet tyres before his accident in Sao Paulo.
“Franco was in his sixth race weekend, never driven in the rain,” Campbell-Walter says of Brazil. “He was crying for wets. Obviously, the team knew there was a red flag coming. You’ve just got to survive, survive, survive.
“Then they stopped him with that safety car. Brand new inters are not easy at the best of times. And on his out-lap the heavens opened, and they were telling him to push, to keep the temperature in the tyre, which does give you an advantage. And he aquaplaned off.
“So that one I’m not so worried about, because it’s just a lack of experience, never driven in the rain, and all of those things, it can happen. And that day it happened to Alonso, it happened to Sainz, it happened to Alex. It’s not like he was the only one. I think the Williams was not super easy to drive, because look at the fact that both of them crashed.”
What are Franco Colapinto’s chances of racing in F1 in 2025?
Williams have their driver line-up confirmed for the 2025 season, with Carlos Sainz moving over from Ferrari to partner Alex Albon. This leaves Colapinto without a seat and with limited options for next season.
Visa Cash App RB have the final seat available for 2025, and Red Bull are interested in Colapinto following his impressive displays with Williams. Christian Horner sees Colapinto as a ‘different breed’ with all the simulator work the modern-day driver does.
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Colapinto’s future likely depends on whether Red Bull decides to sack Sergio Perez. If the Mexican remains with the team, Liam Lawson is almost certain to land the seat with RB.
If Perez is axed, one of Lawson or Yuki Tsunoda is certain to be promoted, opening the door for Colapinto to join the junior team. But Giedo van der Garde thinks Colapinto ‘threw away his seat’ after his ‘stupid’ crash in Las Vegas.
Red Bull have several options available to them at both their teams for 2025. If Colapinto is not chosen to race with them, he faces a spell on the sidelines with Williams before making another bid to join the grid in 2026.
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