Amidst all the turmoil surrounding Liam Lawson, rumors circulated that the New Zealander would not receive a new seat within Formula 1. While Yuki Tsunoda was expected to inherit the spot at Red Bull, the second Racing Bulls seat was rumored to go to Franco Colapinto. However, top advisor Helmut Marko denies that the Alpine reserve, who previously scored points for Williams, was ever a serious option.
During the upcoming Japanese GP, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda will swap places for the first time. The latter will finally make his long-awaited debut at Red Bull, while Lawson returns to the sister team, Racing Bulls. In the run-up to this switch, whispers suggested that the New Zealander would not get a seat at all and that Alpine reserve Franco Colapinto would take his place at Racing Bulls. According to Marko, however, this was never a possibility.
“I have a good relationship with Oliver Oakes (Alpine team boss),” Marko responded prior to the Japanese GP. “He has regularly allowed some of our drivers to race in his various teams in the junior categories. One of those drivers is currently racing in the British Formula 4, for example. That was the reason we had contact recently. Colapinto was never a topic of discussion.”
‘Isack Hadjar is Much Faster’
Despite acknowledging the impressive debut of Colapinto, Marko remains firm that there was never any interest from Racing Bulls. “Colapinto had a very strong first season in Formula 1,” he explained. “And of course, you have to keep an eye on how certain things develop. But in the end, we never seriously considered him.” This weekend, Liam Lawson will once again compete for Racing Bulls, alongside rookie Isack Hadjar. According to Marko, this French promise is a much more interesting driver than, for example, Colapinto.
“Hadjar was consistently faster than Colapinto in Formula 2,” he elaborated. “By now, we have proven that we made the right choice.” It is unclear whether Colapinto had any interest in a contract with Racing Bulls. What is clear, however, is that the 21-year-old driver, partly due to his Argentine origin, could have been a valuable addition. With the departure of Sergio Pérez, Red Bull has largely lost its grip on the South American market.
