It is rumored that Red Bull has extended a contract to promising rookie Franco Colapinto for the 2025 season to race under RB. This follows Colapinto’s strong performances so far this season after he took over as a regular driver for Williams, filling in for Logan Sargeant who was let go after the Dutch Grand Prix.
Franco Colapinto, a 21-year-old Argentine driver, has built a strong reputation for himself thanks to his recent performances. His impact was felt almost immediately as he scored points in two of his first four races, proving that he could cash in when the opportunities were presented on demanding tracks like Baku and Singapore.
Colapinto’s nationality is of particular interest, benefiting from a substantial follower base in South America. For potential suitors like Red Bull, this brings added marketability and sponsor attraction to the table. However, the path to the Red Bull family is not straightforward due to his substantial contract ties with Williams.
The Grove team has nurtured the young driver as part of their Junior program for the past two years. While his stint with Williams is set to conclude by the end of the current season, the team has already confirmed Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon for their 2025 roster, leaving Colapinto’s future with them uncertain. The Williams team, having poured resources and time into developing Colapinto, may be hesitant to release him.
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Journalist Roberto Chinchero said the following:
“The offer is there, Milton Keynes can offer him a seat. But the ‘card’ is from Williams, who have had him in their Junior program for two years, and it is not certain that they are willing to give him up.”
Helmut Marko, an advisor for Red Bull Racing, has expressed explicit interest in acquiring the driver. He has lauded Colapinto’s determination and noted that despite his more modest experience in the junior categories, his performances have been impressive.
“We see it with Colapinto,” he admitted to Motorsport-Total, via Planet F1. “As a relatively inexperienced and not very successful guy in the junior series, although it must be said that he never had the top teams, but what an incredible performance he is having now.
“I think he has a long-term contract with Williams. He will definitely be someone in the future. What he showed was very, very good.”
With Sergio Perez‘s recent underperformance, there is growing scrutiny over his continued role in the team. With the Milton Keynes team cultivating talent from their own junior program, this could be an interesting change in their strategy. Liam Lawson, another emerging talent, is regarded as a potential successor to Perez, while Yuki Tsunoda’s position remains tentative, albeit his options elsewhere are limited.
As we know from the sport’s history, a contract is worth about as much as the paper it’s written on.
Adding credibility to this claim is journalist Joe Saward, who wrote the following in his Green Notebook.
“Of late, of course Perez fans have been getting uncomfortable about the future of their hero. One can be rude about those who deliver the message but in the end the truth will out. Let us wait until the end of the year to see what happens in 2025 but Liam Lawson did a super job for VCARB in Austin and the joy the Red Bull folk seemed to me to be related to the fact that perhaps they feel they have found a solution to their problem.
“They may also have found a solution to the vacancy that a departing Lawson might create at VCARB, as Franco Colapinto is doing a great job for Williams and he has no drive in 2025, as the team is committed to Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz. The word is that Red Bull is now sniffing around Franco. Sainz and Albon are both due to stay at Williams until at least the end of 2026 and so there is no space at the moment for the Argentine driver, while Red Bull needs a strong youngster…”
