Emerson Fittipaldi tells ‘impressive’ Franco Colapinto what he now needs to do to return to Formula 1

Although Franco Colapinto retired from three of his final four outings with Williams at the end of 2024, he still made an impression.

The Argentine was the second driver to make the switch from competing in Formula 2 along with Oliver Bearman, who paved the way for substitutes when he took over from an ill Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia.

James Vowles had drafted in Colapinto after a series of crashes for Logan Sargeant and lack of points, despite there being opportunities for the American.

Colapinto impressed on debut at the Italian GP and followed it up with a points finish at Azerbaijan before the Argentine employed a ‘risky’ strategy in the US to finish in the points again.

Discussing Colapinto on Talksport, two-time F1 world champion Emerson Fittipaldi has said that his arrival in F1 should be a ‘warning’ to European drivers.

Franco Colapinto arrival should be a ‘warning’ to European drivers

Colapinto is the first Latin American driver to race in F1 since Felipe Massa in 2017, with Gabriel Bortoleto set to follow suit in 2025 when he races at Sauber.

It is expected that Colapinto will get a seat on the F1 grid in the future, but Fittipaldi thinks this will be a sign of things to come for the future.

“I think for Latin America it’s very impressive because the last few years they had Checo Perez and now Colapinto did well,” said Fittipaldi.

“I think he needs to get more experience but he’s fast, very impressive on his F1 debut and I hope the next few years there are more Latin American drivers as long as the European drivers give us a little chance. We’re coming back strong, it’s a warning to all the European drivers!”

Will Franco Colapinto end up on the F1 grid?

It was looking like Colapinto would be considered for the second Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen for 2025, but too many crashes which cost Williams millions in repairs put the team off the Argentine.

Colapinto has a contract with Williams as a reserve driver for the 2025 season after the team signed Carlos Sainz alongside Alex Albon.

Martin Brundle has said Colapinto has a ‘great future’ ahead of him in F1, while he could still yet find a seat on the grid for 2026.

While it seems unlikely to be Williams, if Jack Doohan or any of the other four rookies struggle in 2025 then he could be considered an option. Alpine’s Flavio Briatore had already discussed the possibility of signing Colapinto, given he is now a known quantity.