If the final movements in the Formula 1 driver’s market go as expected, then Franco Colapinto’s short stay on the grid looks set to come to an end after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Williams took a calculated risk when they promoted Franco Colapinto for the final nine race weekends of the season and have benefitted from his time in the car.
Colapinto’s five-point tally is better than Logan Sargeant achieved in his 36 race starts for the team.
Not only that, but Colapinto has delivered millions in sponsorship since his arrival which has helped offset some of the costs he’s incurred in recent races.
After a bright start to life on the grid, the 21-year-old has had several disappointing weekends.
Two crashes in Sao Paulo were followed up by a huge shunt in Las Vegas for Colapinto.
He raced that weekend despite not being 100% and was powerless to stop Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Ocon from sliding into him in Qatar which ended his race at the first corner.
Colapinto was linked with Red Bull earlier in the year as an option to fill in one of their four seats on the grid.
Red Bull’s interest in Colapinto has subsided and speaking on the Unlapped Podcast, journalist Nate Saunders has explained one of the potential reasons why.
Red Bull saw ‘red flags’ in Franco Colapinto’s team during negotiations
Talking about how Colapinto’s future looks set to pan out, Saunders said: “We can get into Colapinto on another day but there’s all sorts of fascinating things with negotiations with his team and stuff like that.
“I like Colapinto, but you get the feeling that his whole team around him are kind of struggling to deal with this newfound fame they’ve got at the moment.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links
“I think a lot of people when they’re talking to him a bit like, oh okay, some red flags there that maybe we’ll leave for the time being.
“I imagine he’ll just stay on the side with Williams for a year and then he kind of will just be that guy that there’s always a close-up shot of every time someone goes in the gravel or hits the wall it’ll be like here this guy’s not racing.”
Franco Colapinto’s inexperience may have cost him a 2025 Formula 1 seat
The chips were always stacked against Colapinto earning a seat for next year when he arrived on the grid at Monza.
He already knew that both Williams seats were filled for 2025 with Alex Albon being retained and James Vowles managing to secure Carlos Sainz’s services.
Alpine took an interest in Colapinto after his bright opening races, with Jack Doohan suddenly looking in danger despite not having made his F1 debut yet.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Williams driver Franco Colapinto with praise to stats
The Australian will make his bow in Abu Dhabi in place of Esteban Ocon and Alpine’s interest in Colapinto appears to have cooled.
Colapinto’s crashes ultimately made Red Bull’s decision for them as while they acknowledge he’s quick, they can’t afford to have one driver who crashes as often as he has.
The shunts in Sao Paulo were a result of driving in difficult conditions and a lack of experience in the rain in Formula 1, and they caught out much more experienced drivers than the 21-year-old.
His desire to push the car to the limit in Las Vegas led to this biggest collision of the season, and while he was unlucky to be caught out in Qatar, a stronger performance in qualifying would have meant he would have been clear of the mistake made by those around him.
