Williams Racing driver Franco Colapinto could be handed an unlikely lifeline to stay on the Formula 1 grid by Red Bull Racing next season.
Franco Colapinto was well known to fans of Formula 2 at the start of the year, outperforming fellow Williams junior Zak O’Sullivan to earn a maiden F1 test at Silverstone.
Colapinto was the standout rookie at Silverstone, catching the eye when both Red Bull youngster Isack Hadjar and future Alpine driver Jack Doohan were on track.
At the time, there were no inklings that the 21-year-old would soon be called up by team principal James Vowles, but after the Dutch Grand Prix, that’s exactly what he did.
Logan Sargeant had run out of chances and Colapinto was given nine races to show why Williams had backed him during his junior career.
Colapinto has performed admirably putting teammate Alex Albon under more pressure than any of his previous teammates at Williams over the past three seasons.
Colapinto has attracted interest from Red Bull among other teams because Williams don’t have a seat for him in 2025.
Sergio Perez is failing to deliver and Red Bull are therefore considering several options for next year if they decide to terminate his contract.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was speaking on the Drive To Wynn Podcast ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix and was asked about the next generation of Formula 1 drivers.
He delivered his assessment of Colapinto’s performance as well as several other rookies.
Christian Horner delivers his verdict on Williams star Franco Colapinto
Host Justin Bell and Horner were talking about the young drivers emerging in F1 and Bell asked the Red Bull team principal the difference when it comes to this generation of racers.
Horner explained: “I think they’re just arriving so much more finished.
“I think with the simulation tools that there are now, of course, a lot of them are in the gaming world.
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“The huge amount of simulation that they do in the driver in the loop simulators, the confidence they have, the ability to understand data as well. It’s just a different breed.
“And it’s great to see the young guys turning up, jumping in the car and acquitting themselves really well, whether it’s Liam in the V-CARB car or Ollie Bearman or Colapinto doing a great job, it’s fantastic to see these young talents getting the chance and looking like veterans when they get in the car.”
Franco Colapinto has shared his current chances of being on the grid next season
Talking about what he has lined up in the future after the race in Las Vegas, via Urbana Play 104.3, Colapinto said: “Nothing, we will return, hopefully, in the future, 2026, 2027, who knows when to enjoy.
“But I am very grateful for all those who were there, supporting me, putting up with me in good times and bad.”
READ MORE: Everything to know about Williams driver Franco Colapinto with praise to stats
Colapinto has shown glimpses of brilliance and his comeback from crashing at Baku to score his first F1 points highlighted his potential.
He also should have had the fastest lap of the race at the United States Grand Prix as Esteban Ocon apologised to Colapinto for stealing it from him for the sake of the Constructors’ Championship.
However, the spotlight of racing for Red Bull is a completely different challenge to driving for Williams and putting Colapinto under that pressure so early in his career could break him.
