Franco Colapinto’s manager Maria Catarineu says it “didn’t work out” with Red Bull who were interested in signing the Argentinean as Max Verstappen’s F1 2025 team-mate.

Colapinto arrived on the Formula 1 grid last year as an unknown, called up by Williams to replace the ousted Logan Sargeant, and even his Williams team boss James Vowles admitted he was caught “off guard” by his potential.

Franco Colapinto will not, as things stand, be on the 2025 F1 grid

Scoring points in two of his first four races, Colapinto did what Sargeant hadn’t managed all season – score points. His five World Championship points in four races also put him well up on Sargeant’s one in 36 starts.

So much so it caught the attention of Red Bull who, at best, needed a replacement for the under-fire Sergio Perez, and at worst, needed someone from their junior team to step up and therefore a replacement for that driver.

Big crashes in the latter part of his nine-race run blighted Colapinto’s copybook and led to Red Bull opting to promote from within, Liam Lawson taking Sergio Perez’s seat for the F1 2025 championship and Isack Hadjar moving from F2 to Racing Bulls.

But while 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve believes Colapinto “damaged” his chances with those crashes, the 21-year-old’s manager Maria Catarineu insists it was Red Bull’s “many parts” coupled with Williams’ conditions that left the Argentinean off of the F1 2025 grid.

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Red Bull team boss Christian Horner caught the attention of PlanetF1.com when he was spotted leaving the Williams motorhome in late October.

Catarineu told Corazon de F1: “Clearly, Christian showed an interest in Franco. It could have been for Red Bull as Max’s team-mate, or for the second Red Bull team. There were other teams too.

“But Christian wanted to know what the situation is with Williams and have a chat with James

“Eventually, the Red Bull route, for different reasons, could not be. First, because Red Bull has many parts, it has a very powerful academy with drivers who were already waiting and, well, it didn’t work out.”

Williams weren’t in a position to offer him a seat for the F1 2025 season as the team had already signed Carlos Sainz as Alex Albon’s new team-mate. That opened the door for Alpine to swoop on the Argentinean, signing him as their reserve driver.

But with questions hanging over Jack Doohan’s performances, Colapinto could replace the Australian driver at round seven, the Imola Grand Prix, or even earlier, round five, Saudi Arabia.

Speaking about Alpine’s interest, Catarineu revealed it was “more or less at the same time as Red Bull” during the 2024 campaign.

“But Flavio said ‘I want him, and I want him like this and like this’. But it was very complicated because there is Franco as a driver, his management company, there is Williams as Franco’s team, there are the interested other teams’

“But that’s where it started. And Flavio never lost his interest.”

As per his Alpine agreement, Colapinto will conduct simulator work while also covering a TPC programme with Alpine.

Catarineu added: “He is super, super happy. You have to realise that just a few months ago we didn’t know if we were ever going to be in Formula 1. And then the nine races with Williams happened.

“But then again there was uncertainty and his anguish, because there is no place at Williams. And now he is happy. Very happy.”

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