Franco Colapinto performed impressively during his brief stint in Formula 1 but is unlikely to race in the series next season.
The Argentine hit the ground running at the Italian Grand Prix with a strong drive to 12th place, but incidents marred his nine-race cameo at Williams.
Crashes over the Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend and in Las Vegas were costly to the team and Colapinto’s chances of staying in Formula 1.
There are unlikely to be any chances for Colapinto to race in F1 for a full season in 2025. Still, Oliver Bearman advised Colapinto to consider Super Formula, which would keep him sharp.
Formula 1 is an incredibly difficult championship where the smallest mistakes are punished. Former F1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr explained one thing that people forgot, which made life even trickier for Colapinto.
Nelson Piquet Jr. shares what people ‘forget’ after Franco Colapinto’s F1 exit
Colapinto had some very good races in Formula 1, such as a drive to eighth place in Azerbaijan on a new track after recovering from a crash in practice.
Despite his obvious raw pace, Alpine lost interest in Colapinto after the Argentine suffered heavy crashes, costing the team many spare parts.
READ MORE: Martin Brundle changed his mind about five-crash F1 driver who seemed to have a ‘great future’
Piquet Jr explained that performing well at the end of the season is very important as it can overshadow the races that happened previously.
He told Carburando: “[Colapinto is] a great driver and, in the end, very good. Formula 1 is a little hard. If you don’t perform well in your last race, people forget the good races that came before, but I think that he will have other chances.
“Maybe he won’t be driving there next year. But I think that if he’s in the right team, an opportunity will appear for him next year or in 2026 so he’s definitely made his mark. He’s shown that he’s a good driver.”
Heading into next year, Colapinto will likely stay with the Williams team as he looks to return to Formula 1 for his first full season in 2026.
Alpine may have an opening for Franco Colapinto in the near future
Alpine are heading into 2025 with Pierre Gasly and Australian rookie Jack Doohan, but there are already question marks over their new driver.
The French team were linked to Colapinto this year. Flavio Briatore would consider signing Colapinto in 2026 despite Alpine’s academy having competitive drivers such as Gabriele Mini.
Doohan didn’t have a spectacular junior career and was off the pace during his Formula 1 debut at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
He did keep the car on the track, but the Australian will need to be more competitive next year to help Alpine improve on their sixth-place finish in the Constructors’ Championship.
Any potential weaknesses with Doohan could open the door for Colapinto, and Briatore isn’t afraid to make tough decisions.
