F1 Rumor: Williams' Franco Colapinto Still Linked To Rival Team For 2025

Saajan Jogia | Nov 9, 2024

Oct 18, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Williams Racing driver Franco Colapinto (43) of Team Argentina walks through the track entrance before practice for the 2024 US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Speculation about Franco Colapinto racing in one of Red Bull's cars in 2025 has intensified after Red Bull chief Christian Horner was spotted visiting the Williams motorhome at Interlagos during the Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend.

Meant to be an interim replacement for an ousted Logan Sargeant until the end of the 2024 season before Carlos Sainz takes over the seat next year, Colapinto has already made his mark on the F1 grid with stellar performances that have reportedly caught the attention of several teams, including Red Bull and Alpine.

The F2 driver, who is also a part of the Williams Academy, has built up enough demand for himself that teams are willing to have him on board despite Williams team principal James Vowles' condition that he remain under a Williams contract, meaning he will be loaned to the team he races for.

Colapinto was strongly linked to a Red Bull seat after Sergio Perez delivered another lackluster performance in Brazil, finishing outside the points in P11, despite Red Bull pushing him to regain its top position in the Constructors' Championship. While Liam Lawson is also being assessed alongside Yuki Tsunoda in Red Bull's sister team, a racing opportunity will arise at VCARB if he replaces Perez next year. On the other hand, it could also be possible that Red Bull retains Lawson in VCARB, while Colapinto replaces the Mexican driver to become Max Verstappen's teammate.

According to a report, Red Bull's interest in Colapinto was confirmed by Williams' team members in Brazil, and Horner's meeting with Vowles adds more weight to the prospect. Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko declared recently that the team would be considering its in-house talent in the junior category in case a seat needs filling up. However, Colapinto's proven F1 experience could outweigh the chances of a rookie driver yet to receive his first Formula 1 report card.

Marko sees promoting Lawson as a revival of Red Bull’s previous approach, which successfully promoted talent from its own junior ranks. Opting for Colapinto to partner Verstappen after Perez's four-season tenure would limit opportunities for its young drivers by tying up Red Bull seats for a fifth consecutive season. However, Lawson’s strong performances have positioned him as a worthy candidate for the main team role.

But Horner's recent comments about considering talent outside its talent pool, such as Mercedes's George Russell, are also on record, which indicates that Red Bull may rely more on the performance factor when signing the next driver than limiting itself to its talent pool.

In addition, rumors suggest Colapinto may be on Alpine's radar, even though the team has already confirmed Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan for the 2025 season. Speculation intensified following a Qatar test last week with Alpine's 2022 car, initially intended for junior drivers Victor Martins and Doohan, where Gasly unexpectedly joined. Some view Gasly's presence as a move by Alpine to gather additional feedback on Doohan's performance.

Despite the speculation, one thing is clear- Colapinto is being recognized by several teams as a potential driver for the future, even with limited seats available in the premier class next year.