Franco Colapinto gives latest F1 future update amid management team talks

Franco Colapinto is leaving his F1 future in the capable hands of his management team amidst rumours he could join VCARB next season.

Colapinto has been linked to Red Bull’s junior team for next season in a game of musical chairs that would see the Williams driver partner Yuki Tsunoda at VCARB, Liam Lawson take the Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez potentially leave Formula 1.

Franco Colapinto: I deserve a seat in F1

Colapinto was promoted to a Williams seat at the Italian Grand Prix, called up by team boss James Vowles to replace the beleaguered Logan Sargeant after he was dropped.

Contesting four races, the 21-year-old has already bagged two top-ten results to bring his points tally to five. That’s more in those four starts than Sargeant managed in his 36 as he scored a solitary point.

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko is impressed with what he’s seen of the Argentinean.

“We see it with Colapinto,” he told Motorsport-Total, “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.”

That added fuel to speculation that Colapinto could be the answer to Red Bull’s driver dilemma.

Nothing though, is in his hands.

He needs Lawson to impress the Red Bull bosses enough that they sit down with Perez to discuss his exit, and then he needs Williams and Red Bull to agree on a deal that would allow him to leave the Grove team as Red Bull are unlikely to leave a backdoor open for him to return to Williams in a year or three.

Audi also remain an option as they’ve yet to sign their second driver, although that’s said to be a fight between Valtteri Bottas and Mick Schumacher.

But while Colapinto would like to remain on the grid next season, the driver accepts he may have to wait a year or two to secure a full-time race seat especially as Williams have their drivers locked in until the end of 2026.

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Asked by Martin Brundle if teams were talking to him, he told the Sky pundit: “I’m not really into it. Of course, my managers are doing an amazing job, and I really trust them.

“But my job is driving a car quick enough and turn the wheel, and their job is to find me a seat. So they are doing a great job on that.

“I’m not really focused on what’s happening. I don’t want to put too much energy on it. I know that there is no seats left at the moment and there is no space for me to go.

“But look, I’m driving to show that I deserve a seat in Formula One, and that I deserve my place here, that I came to stay and not to be only a couple of races. So I hope to be in that impression.

“I’m sure I’m going to be back in the future, ’26, ’27. I’m sure I’m going to be back. So I’m going to work hard for that. Of course, still a couple of races left this year to show what I can do. So that’s good news.

“But, look, if you’d told me two months ago I would be here, I wouldn’t believe you. I’m just enjoying this opportunity, the chance that William gave me is something from another planet. I’m just giving my all to give the team what they deserve.”

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