Christian Horner drops biggest Franco Colapinto hint yet amid Red Bull rumours

Christian Horner has dropped the biggest hint yet that Red Bull are interested in signing Franco Colapinto for F1 2025, hailing the Williams driver as “a potential star of the future.”

Colapinto has made a fine impression since replacing Logan Sargeant at Williams ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, scoring points in just his second F1 appearance at the notoriously challenging Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan.

Christian Horner quizzed on Red Bull’s Franco Colapinto pursuit

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

The Argentine followed that up with a 10th-place finish at last month’s United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.

With Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon signed up to race for Williams in F1 2025, Colapinto is highly unlikely to compete for his current employers next season with team principal James Vowles open to allowing the 21-year-old to join a rival team.

Speculation that Red Bull could move for Colapinto increased on Friday at the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos, where Horner was seen leaving the Williams hospitality unit shortly before practice.

F1 contracts: Made to be broken?

? F1 2024 driver salaries revealed: Who are the highest-paid drivers on the grid?

? F1 driver contracts: What is the contract status of every driver on the 2024 grid?

PlanetF1.com understands that Colapinto is in serious contention join the Red Bull fold for F1 2025, with an undisclosed second team – not thought to be Audi F1, the only non-Red Bull outfit yet to finalise their driver lineup for next season – also in the frame.

Asked if Red Bull are among the teams interested in Colapinto, Horner pointed to the instant impacts made by the likes of Red Bull VCARB driver Liam Lawson and Haas youngster Oliver Bearman in F1 2024.

And he teased that Red Bull are closely monitoring the driver market with Colapinto marking himself as a future star.

Horner told Sky F1: “I think it’s great to see these juniors doing a great job.

“We’ve got Liam Lawson obviously in the VCARB doing a really good job. Oliver Bearman should get a shoutout today because he was impressive.

“I think Franco, again, is a kid that’s doing really, really well.

“Of course, you’re always keeping an eye on the driver market and I think Franco definitely has got the qualities to be a potential star of the future.”

Horner’s comments come after Vowles confirmed that Williams are “actively working” with interested teams towards a solution for Colapinto for F1 2025.

And he revealed that Colapinto’s plans for next season are expected to be decided before next month’s F1 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Appearing in Friday’s team principals’ press conference in Sao Paulo, Vowles said: “The best I can really tell you is we’re actively working with teams that are interested to try and find the right arrangement that helps Franco, that protects Franco as well and protects all parties.

“So it’s very much in those lines. It’s the same concept behind it.

“It’s never straightforward between Formula 1 teams, because you’re fighting on track and you’re trying to find a solution for the career of a young man, but he’s earning his place.

“He needs to do more on track to keep earning his place as a result of things, but he’s shining and that’s why there’s interest from teams and our responsibility in that, as I have a responsibility both towards him and Williams, and hopefully, we’ll have some great news to be able to talk to everyone about. But today, that isn’t available.

“These sorts of things are always hard to do because you’re talking about multiple teams talking together.

“But it’ll be something that I’m confident before the last race of the season we’ll have nailed.

“But it’s really hard for me to pinpoint where in between those two timelines.”

Read next: McLaren at centre of Red Bull tyre trick accusation amid FIA investigation – report