Williams trusted Franco Colapinto to complete the final nine rounds of the season after Logan Sargeant continued to make errors.
The Argentine debuted at the Italian Grand Prix and put in a near faultless weekend apart from one small mistake in qualifying that meant he didn’t advance to Q2.
Colapinto showed great resilience over his time at Williams as he adjusted to a different style of racing after stepping up from Formula 2.
He also had very little seat time before the 21-year-old’s Grand Prix debut, which only added to the challenge Colapinto had to deal with.
The Williams driver is unlikely to get a seat on the F1 grid for next season despite Colapinto being linked to Alpine, even though they are committed to Jack Doohan and Pierre Gasly.
He was held back by a series of crashes that cooled the interest in Colapinto including one particular moment that still hurts the Argentine.
He explained that he may have pushed over the limit at times in Formula 1 as he looked to extract the maximum from himself and the car.
Franco Colapinto’s crash in Las Vegas still ‘hurts’
Colapinto had a number of incidents over his brief time in Formula 1, which hindered his chances of retaining a seat on the grid for next season.
He hit the wall in practice in Azerbaijan but recovered well to score points in eighth place, just behind his much more experienced teammate Alex Albon.
The Williams driver hit the wall in Brazil multiple times over the weekend, which significantly damaged the car as he drove in the rain for the first time.
READ MORE: James Vowles explains how Franco Colapinto has had the ‘biggest impact’ on Williams’ 2025 preparations
Colapinto explained that the hit at the Las Vegas Grand Prix was the one moment of his time at Williams, which is still painful and hurt more than the crashes at Interlagos.
He told Motorsport: “I think Brazil was very difficult, with a lot of rain. The cars were almost unmanageable for everyone. And someone was going to crash.
“I see it as my first experience in the wet. My first experience on intermediate (tyres), everything was very new. So I kind of understand that. The one that hurts me a little bit more inside is Las Vegas.
“I was in control, and I was really pushing the limit in qualifying. I was trying to put a Williams into Q3. Maybe we weren’t quick enough, but I was really, really, really going for it, and maybe it was too much.”
Las Vegas was an incident of fine margins in qualifying, which turned into a 50G impact as Colapinto went beyond the limits of his Williams.
He recovered well in the race after a pit lane start to finish in 14th place on a new circuit for him and a surface with very little grip.
Franco Colapinto needs to keep his options open ahead of 2026
The 2026 Formula 1 season sees a significant rule change in the engine regulations and to the aerodynamics of the cars.
This could make the order look very different and Colapinto may have an option after likely sitting on the sidelines next year.
Williams may have an opening in a couple of seasons as former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has doubts over the Albon and Carlos Sainz partnership.
Cadillac may also consider Colapinto when they join the grid in 2026, although they will likely want an American driver, which may attract more sponsors to a team from the US.
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