Faced with an uncertain future in F1, Franco Colapinto has revealed what moment of the F1 2024 season he would change if he could.

The Argentinean driver exploded onto the grid in the middle of the season, as Williams picked him to replace the struggling Logan Sargeant after the Dutch Grand Prix.

Franco Colapinto: Las Vegas qualifying was my biggest mistake

With Colapinto a complete rookie in Formula 1, his eye-catching performances after stepping into the Williams saw his name linked with Red Bull and Alpine as he became the hottest property on the driver market.

But, as is usually the case with rookies, the mistakes eventually began to creep in as the adulation – and pressure – ramped up on Colapinto.

Aside from a barrier clout during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Colapinto had kept his nose clean until the weekend in Sao Paulo.

During the wet race in Brazil, Williams kept their inexperienced driver out on track on intermediates after he asked for full wets. Moments later, Colapinto lost control and hit the wall with a big impact – adding to Williams’ woes after a crash for Alex Albon in the other car.

At the following race, in Las Vegas, Colapinto made an error during qualifying that saw him slam his Williams into a concrete wall to rip both sides of his car apart – the crash left his car skittering down the track in a cloud of debris and sparks after an impact which required him to undergo medical evaluations before being cleared to race the following day.

Speaking in a video for the Williams’ YouTube channel, Colapinto opened up on how this moment was what he’d go back and change if possible.

“I think especially Vegas qualifying,” he said. “I think Brazil because it was my first time on the wets. It was [a] big [crash]. I see it as a little bit less a disaster.

“Well, it was a disaster but like in my head, Vegas was so much bigger thing. I still was going for it and trying to put the car in but it still feels like a much bigger mistake than one of Brazil.”

While Red Bull’s interest in Colapinto cooled as a result of the crashes, Williams teammate Alex Albon stood up for the abilities of the Argentinean after the final race of the year.

“I mean, [he’s a] fantastic driver,” he told media, including PlanetF1.com, after Abu Dhabi.

“I feel like he’s proved his worth in Formula 1.

“He’s very talented. Definitely, when he joined, I underestimated just how quick he was going to be, and I believe we’ll see him in Formula 1 at some point in the future.”

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While Albon acknowledged the spate of crashes and incidents Colapinto got himself into was unfortunate, he said he understood the hows and whys of them occurring and that Colapinto wasn’t entirely to blame for his subdued end to the year.

“I hope not. I don’t think he deserves it to be,” he said.

“It really goes in tandem with the performance of the car – it became tricky at the end of the season.

“It was tricky for me. I didn’t have a fantastic end to the season, and I don’t always just blame myself in that.

“So I don’t think so. I think the team also know how good he is, and other teams will be able to see that as well.”

Colapinto’s name remains linked with Alpine as rumours continue to swirl about the certainty of Jack Doohan’s contract with the Enstone-based squad, but there doesn’t appear to be another way onto the grid at present.

With no room at the inn at Williams as Albon is joined by Carlos Sainz for F1 2025, Colapinto is left on the sidelines waiting for an opportunity to arise. The arrival of Cadillac in 2026 may represent a good opportunity as the new team will offer two additional seats on the grid, although the American squad may find pursuing more experienced drivers a wiser decision for its first year in the sport.

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