F1 News: Lewis Hamilton Backs Rookie Driver For 2025 Formula 1 Seat

Saajan Jogia | 2 Hours Ago

2024 Italian Grand Prix, Friday / Sam Bloxham

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has praised Williams interim driver Franco Colapinto's performance since his F1 debut in the Italian Grand Prix, claiming that the junior driver has "earned his right" to be racing in Formula 1 in 2025.

Williams made the decision to part ways with the underperforming Logan Sargeant and bring in the Argentine F2 driver to fill the seat until the end of the 2024 season, after which Ferrari's Carlos Sainz will take over. What team principal James Vowles didn’t anticipate, however, was that Colapinto’s strong performances in just a few races could potentially catch the attention of teams like Red Bull, which may consider bringing him on board in the future.

A Williams Academy driver, Colapinto earned 5 points in his first four races, significantly outscoring Sargeant during his time with the Grove outfit. With Sainz set to take the seat next year, Vowles is working hard to find a suitable opportunity to loan the 21-year-old driver to the right team. Colapinto was also in the running for the final available seat at Sauber, but the Hinwil outfit ultimately chose F2 championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has revealed an interest in hiring Colapinto in the future and was even spotted visiting the Williams motorhome during the Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend. Impressed by his performance and attitude, the seven-time world champion claimed that Colapinto has all the reasons to remain a part of the premier class of motorsport, while also offering him advice. He said:

"I think he's earned his right to be here.

"There still is a seat available and he's saying it's not for him to decide. My advice would be to make sure that it is."

The suggestion came when Colapinto was still in talks with Sauber's CEO and CTO Mattia Binotto over the future seat. Hamilton added:

"I'd be pushing on my side to make sure I was doing absolutely everything… and at the end of the day he's got to just focus continue to focus on doing his job every weekend as he is.

"Hopefully he's got good people behind him who are doing the right job to make sure that he's here racing next year."

While Sainz will take Colapinto's seat in a few months, he will be replaced by Hamilton at Ferrari, who made a team switch after 12 seasons at Mercedes, where he secured six championship titles. The Briton hopes to clinch his eighth title with the Maranello outfit, potentially making him the most successful driver in Formula 1 history.