Midway through the Formula 1 season, Franco Colapinto was called up to replace Logan Sargeant at Williams. The relatively unknown Argentine, after several free practice sessions at Silverstone, made his debut during the Italian GP. With a number of successful finishes in the points, he caught the eye of the top teams, although the chances of him returning to the grid next year are slim. How does he reflect on his first Formula 1 season?
After Logan Sargeant’s lackluster start to the season, consistently finishing outside the points, Formula 2 driver Franco Colapinto was called up to replace him in the run-up to the Italian GP. Williams showed no interest in, for example, Mick Schumacher, and instead opted for a young talent from their own breeding ground. In retrospect, this proved to be a wise choice: Colapinto finished in the points twice, with his best result being an eighth place in the Azerbaijan GP. After the final race in Abu Dhabi, the 21-year-old driver reflects on his debut in Formula 1.
“It was incredibly exciting,” Franco Colapinto told the media at Yas Marina. “Of course, it was a dream come true for me. When I started at Monza, I knew that a lot had to happen, that I had to learn a lot and that I had to keep moving forward.” During the Italian race, he finished in twelfth place, but in the subsequent race, he immediately scored good points for Williams.
Future in Formula 1?
“When I look at the bigger picture, I think I’ve done reasonably well,” he concluded. “I tried to make the most of this incredible opportunity. I have to thank James (Vowles, team boss), Sven (Smeets, sporting director), and everyone on the team for their trust in me.” Colapinto, who was praised as ‘the Argentine Max Verstappen‘ after his first races, attracted the interest of teams like Red Bull and Alpine. At one point, Flavio Briatore even considered tearing up Jack Doohan’s contract in favor of Colapinto.
However, after a number of costly crashes in the final stages of the season, that interest seemed to wane. During the race weekends in São Paulo and Las Vegas, Franco Colapinto caused sleepless nights for the Williams mechanics. “That was tough,” he admitted. “Especially in Las Vegas, it was a big mistake to go all out in that last round. Looking back, I could have avoided some mistakes. But when I look at the overall picture and the experience I’ve been able to gain, this season was truly a dream come true. I’m very curious about the future.” For now, Colapinto does not have a new contract.
