Why was Franco Colapinto forced onto the sidelines for 2025?
Franco Colapinto failed to land a seat for this year despite having a promising Formula 1 debut at Williams in 2024.
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Franco Colapinto (Via: Williams Racing)
Williams shocked the F1 paddock when it decided to replace Logan Sargeant with Franco Colapinto for the latter half of 2024. The Argentine driver managed to turn heads over the course of his stint at Grove. However, the 21-year-old will not have a race seat for the upcoming season.
Colapinto impressed the entire paddock with his performances. The 21-year-old scored points for Williams in a car he had not raced before, something which Logan Sargeant couldn’t do during his entire stay at the team.
The Argentine driver became a household name back in his home country. Sponsors flocked to Williams for short deals that would allow them to use Franco Colapinto‘s F1 debut commercially. Yet, no team was seemingly interested in backing the 21-year-old for 2025.
Rival teams reluctant to sign Franco Colapinto
Williams would’ve been the obvious choice for the Argentine driver. Unfortunately, the British squad already secured its line-up with Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon. This left no room for James Vowles‘ squad to have Colapinto for the foreseeable future.
However, F1 teams often find spots for their junior talent. Zhou Guanyu was an Alpine prodigy who was signed by Sauber in 2022. The Swiss team has now acquired the services of McLaren junior and F2 winner Gabriel Bortoleto for the upcoming season.
Sauber was seen as a potential destination for Colapinto. However, the Audi-owned outfit decided to back the reigning F2 champion instead. Perhaps, the Swiss squad sees more potential in Bortoleto who is managed by Fernando Alonso.
RB became another viable option following Liam Lawson’s Red Bull promotion. Though, the Austrian giant wanted to focus on its own academy with Isack Hadjar than one from a rival team. Alpine will also be promoting its junior Jack Doohan next year.
Thus, Franco Colapinto found himself unlucky with no available spots for this year. The Argentine driver did make a few mistakes which might’ve dissuaded rivals from betting on the 23-year-old. Williams would be hoping to find a seat for Colapinto for 2026.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2403 Articles Published)