There has been a fresh twist in the Franco Colapinto saga that could see the Argentine back on the Formula 1 grid sooner than expected.
The future of the 21-year-old’s F1 career looked set to be on the sidelines in 2025 after racing for the final time with Williams at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Colapinto had impressed in his opening races with the Grove-based outfit, scoring points in Baku and Austin. His performances had caught the attention of several teams in the paddock, including Red Bull who saw Colapinto as a candidate to join their junior team RB after Sergio Perez’s inevitable sacking.
However, the Argentine’s form nose-dived after suffering numerous crashes and costing Williams millions in damages. RB pulled out their interest in Colapinto as they felt he had too many expensive accidents to join the Red Bull setup – the 21-year-old suffered three retirements in his last four races in 2024.
Williams have already confirmed their driver pairing for 2025 in Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz who got his first Williams outing in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi. Colapinto did not take part as he faces having a spell on the sidelines in 2025.
Alpine are also interested in Colapinto and have been keeping tabs on his situation with Williams. According to Argentine media, the two teams may have struck an agreement for next season.
Alpine have until 15th December to respond to Williams’ offers for Franco Colapinto
Like Williams, Alpine have also confirmed their drivers for 2025 in Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan. The latter made his F1 debut earlier than anticipated as he replaced Esteban Ocon in Abu Dhabi after the Frenchman was released from his contract to join Haas.
Alpine supervisor Flavio Briatore is a keen admirer of Colapinto and wants to bring him on board at the Enstone-based squad, And it appears the former Renault team principal may have reached an agreement with Williams boss James Vowles.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Williams driver Franco Colapinto with praise to stats
According to Argentine outlet Automundo, Williams have given Alpine several options to sign Colapinto, which consists of either ‘loaning him out for one, two or three years’, or making ‘a total sale of the driver’s sporting rights’; the latter of which reportedly ‘appeals greatly’ to Briatore.
The report claims that Alpine have until the 15th December to give Williams a ‘definitive response’. It is also said that ‘the possibility of an early financial offer’ from the Enstone-based outfit should not be ruled out.
What does this mean for Franco Colapinto in 2025?
It is not currently clear what role Colapinto would have with Alpine, considering that they already have their drivers locked in for next season. But as the report suggests the Argentine will join the team in 2025, it hints that one of their drivers could be out sooner than expected.
It has been reported that Jack Doohan’s contract with Alpine is only for five races. With this latest development with Colapinto, it looks more likely that the Aussie could be pushed back onto the sidelines in favour of the Argentine.
Another possibility is that Colapinto could simply join Alpine’s setup with a view to a full-time seat further down the line. However, the team have already signed Paul Aron as their reserve driver for 2025, making it a complicated situation at present.
Colapinto would be an expensive signing for Alpine regardless of which offer they accept from Williams. With a deadline set for the end of the week, it will be interesting to see how Alpine complete their acquisition of the Argentine and who he will replace.
Leave feedback about this