Sergio Perez Sends Warning To Franco Colpainto - 'Risk His Career'

Saajan Jogia | Oct 17, 2024

Franco Colapinto - Williams Racing / Williams Racing Press Image

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez has warned interim Williams driver Franco Colapinto that moving back to F2 after racing for Williams for the remainder of the 2024 season could "risk his career," considering he has already made his mark in the premier class of Motorsport.

The Argentine secured four points in the last three races after his Formula 1 debut, which is more than enough to outscore Logan Sargeant's points tally of the last two seasons, the driver he replaced. Colapinto's impressive performances at Monza, Baku, and Singapore have put him on Audi's radar.

The German automaker is evaluating its driver options for 2025, focusing on who will join Nico Hulkenberg at Sauber ahead of the team's takeover by Audi in 2026. Colapinto is a strong contender, along with Valtteri Bottas, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Mick Schumacher. Meanwhile, Williams is pushing to loan Colapinto to Audi, as Carlos Sainz is set to take his seat alongside Alex Albon next year.

Perez, who found it difficult to overtake Colapinto during the Marina Bay street race in Singapore, praised the young driver over team radio, saying, "He’s very good, difficult to pass." Impressed by Colapinto’s defensive skills, the Red Bull driver has revealed his hope that the 21-year-old would secure a seat with Audi. He told the media:

“I really hope for Franco that he’s able to find that Audi [Sauber] seat.

“For him it would be a shame after the job that he’s doing that he doesn’t get a seat for next year.

“That can risk his career going back to F2 and not having the straightforward year, having a couple of stalls with those cars. I think F2 has some work to do with their championship.”

He added:

“I think it’s great to see these young drivers coming in, being so confident and straight away delivering great results. It’s always great to see that.

“I mean, these are very good drivers, and they’ve been doing that for their whole life. They’ve been with the teams for, I don’t know how many seasons, so they’re really up to speed.

“It’s not like the days when I started where you hardly had any communication with the F1 teams, and you were hardly in the meetings, you hardly drove a car.

“Now these guys, they are on the simulator all the day and they’re up to speed.

“Obviously it’s one good race, two good races. But it’s the consistency of tomorrow that will make you have a very successful career in F1.”