Franco Colapinto has only one option to stay on the Formula 1 grid for the 2025 season as he battles to keep his development going on track.
The Argentine has impressed at Williams since joining the team from the Italian Grand Prix onwards as the replacement for Logan Sargeant.
Colapinto has scored five points in his six races in F1 so far, achieving his best result of eighth in Baku before scoring one point at the United States Grand Prix with 10th.
Five points may not seem like much on paper, but the 21-year-old has certainly been an improvement on Sargeant, who could only manage one point from 36 Grand Prix with Williams.
Furthermore, Colapinto has almost immediately been on the pace of teammate Alex Albon and has put the Thai driver under pressure. The Argentine finished in the top 12 in his first five races, and his performances caught the attention of some admirers.
Red Bull have expressed their interest in Colapinto and are considering the 21-year-old for the future as they assess what to do with the struggling Sergio Perez. However, after the Williams driver’s recent events, the defending champions may be having second thoughts.
Christian Horner says Franco Colapinto has been ‘truly forgetful’ in his last three races
Being a rookie, it would be natural for Colapinto to have some off moments and make mistakes, and the Argentine has shown just that in the last two races.
The Sao Paulo Grand Prix was a disaster for Williams, as both drivers crashed heavily in qualifying in the torrential rain. After getting only Colapinto’s car fixed for the race, the 21-year-old destroyed his car again in the tricky conditions, bringing out the red flag.
At the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Colapinto was in the wall again as he suffered a 50G crash in qualifying. The damage was so severe that Williams even had to borrow Aston Martin parts to fix his car for the race – where he ultimately finished 14th.
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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner confirmed his interest in Colapinto in Sao Paulo as he was impressed by his performances in his opening races.
But seeing the events of that race and Las Vegas, he hinted that the Argentine may have affected his chances of joining the team.
“He got off to a great start, and his first three races were truly impressive. And the second three have been truly forgetful,” said Horner via The Race.
Has Franco Colapinto thrown away a seat at Red Bull?
Visa Cash App RB – Red Bull’s junior team – have the final seat to fill for the 2025 season, with Liam Lawosn set to get the nod to partner Yuki Tsunoda next year.
But if Red Bull chooses to sack Perez, it is likely that one of the RB drivers will be promoted to replace him, thus opening the door for Colapinto to take the vacant seat at the Faenza squad.
The 21-year-old has only raced seven Grand Prix in F1 and his inexperience has shown in the last few races. Giedo van der Garde thinks Colapinto has thrown away his seat at Red Bull with his ‘stupid’ crash at Las Vegas.
Colapinto would be an expensive signing for Red Bull, and his recent performances may not justify paying Williams that price tag. But the Argentine still has time to show Horner and the defending champions what he can do and put his name in the hat for 2025.
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