Red Bull has admitted in public that it is sounding out what it would take to bring Franco Colapinto on board – but while a deal to extract him from Williams would be expensive, it could be the long-term solution to the team’s second driver conundrum in Formula 1.
Colapinto began the season not even being earmarked as a potential F1 candidate. However, Logan Sargeant enduring a wretched sophomore campaign opened the door, and Colapinto has taken the chance that could lead him to become a mainstay.
The Argentine has been a revelation since stepping up prior to the Italian Grand Prix in August, delivering two points finishes in his six outings, during which time he has not taken the chequered flag lower than 12th.
But while the sceptics that propped up when he was chosen have been silenced as he has vindicated Williams’ decision, Colapinto’s exploits will not land him a permanent drive with the Grove-based squad as it has signed outgoing Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz to partner incumbent Alex Albon from 2025.
It is unsurprising then that Colapinto has conceded he expects to be on the sidelines in 2025 once his current interim stint ends.
However, Sergio Perez’s recurring struggles at Red Bull could provide a twist in the tale. The Mexican survived a mid-season review, but his campaign has continued to be mired with disastrous results since the summer break, as 19 points in seven races has contributed to Red Bull dropping to third place in the Constructors’ Championship.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner has been Perez’s biggest supporter, but a nightmare home outing in Mexico even saw his tone change as he conceded that “difficult decisions” have to be taken with his driver.
Changes afoot at Red Bull?
Liam Lawson’s mid-season return to F1 as Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement at RB heightened rumours that Red Bull is assessing potential options to replace Perez, who possesses a contract through 2026.
At the time, Horner all but indicated that the call to give Lawson a six-race run in the RB revolved around assessing his credentials to step up to the senior Red Bull setup in 2025.
The New Zealander did his chances no harm on his seasonal debut in the United States, recovering from a grid drop that put him on the back row to score points in ninth place.
In the circumstance where Red Bull elects to make a change and oust Perez, Lawson appears the obvious candidate to come in. That would leave a gap needing to be filled at RB – one which Colapinto could slot into.
Red Bull has Formula 2 championship contender Isack Hadjar on its books, but Horner has mentioned that it is prepared to venture outside its driver stable should a better option become available elsewhere.
Colapinto now being a tried and tested F1 name could give him an edge in that regard. His sublime start to his time in the top flight has turned heads and not gone unnoticed at Red Bull, with Horner indicating that he is among the drivers that it is exploring as it ponders both its teams’ line-ups for 2025.
“Colapinto is an interesting driver. He is surprisingly much better than everyone thought in Formula 2,” Horner told AMuS. “I would be a bad team leader if I didn’t find out if he was available.”
Williams open to Colapinto release
Horner being spotted leaving the Williams motorhome in Brazil last month has ramped up the speculation that Red Bull holds an interest in securing Colapinto’s services
Williams boss James Vowles remarked that Horner harboured desires to sample the team’s new coffee range, but he has divulged that discussions with F1 rivals are ongoing.
“The best I can say is this: we’re exploring possibilities with a number of teams that are interested at the moment,” Vowles told media including Motorsport Week in Brazil.
“And beyond there, it would be wrong to do anything more than speculate here. There’s nothing to really communicate beyond that point.
“When there is, I’ll happily talk about it because he’s an exceptional driver.
“He’s doing an outstanding job on track. And as I’ve said from the very beginning, earn your position, and elements will come your way.
“But beyond there, I think especially when we look at the fact he’s a 21-year-old, and my responsibility is also towards him and making sure we do the right thing.”
Colapinto penned a long-term deal to receive the chance with Williams, meaning landing his signature will come at a substantial price.
Williams holds the cards, but with Albon and Sainz locked into medium-term deals, Vowles has shown a readiness to do a deal, providing a rival team meets his demands.
Colapinto, meanwhile, has claimed that Williams letting him go would be the “normal thing” should a concrete F1 opening arrive.
Asked whether he thinks Williams would be open to that should Red Bull’s interest intensify, Colapinto replied: “Well, I think I shouldn’t be the person asked about that.
“Of course, I don’t know the answer, and I guess yes.
“I think if Williams cannot give me a race seat, I think the normal thing is that they allow me to go somewhere else and that they find the best opportunity for me for the future.
“But I’m not the right person to be asked. I should be the last one, you know.”
Colapinto would provide Red Bull an insurance
At a time when Red Bull is at a crossroads, Colapinto would give the team an insurance option in case the viable gamble on Lawson partnering Verstappen next term backfires.
There are no guarantees that Lawson would survive the Red Bull pressure cooker. Albon and Pierre Gasly have both shown that capable drivers can be made to look hopeless when measured against the brilliance Verstappen wields at the wheel.
Colapinto would be in that same boat, but there are several reasons to suggest that he could transpire to be the support act to Verstappen that Red Bull has struggled to unearth since Daniel Ricciardo’s departure.
The Buenos Aires-born driver carries supreme confidence in his abilities, but not to the point where there’s ill-advised arrogance that shines through in his racing.
But aside from the swashbuckling attributes that have been evident on the track, Colapinto’s affable and charismatic persona has also endeared him to viewers overnight.
The commotion that Colapinto has stirred up back in his native Argentina has provided Williams with a short-term sponsorship revenue boost that Red Bull would welcome.
That would be an added incentive to part with the cash needed to snap Colapinto up as choosing to cut ties with Perez would lose Red Bull his vast sponsorship portfolio too.
But Red Bull’s main attention remains on what a driver can do on the track and Colapinto being a close match to a now-established driver in Albon has provided promise that he might be a special talent.
Red Bull had been renowned as the team that brings through the best upcoming names, but in recent times that hasn’t been the case as the desperation to accelerate Verstappen’s ascent to the top has created a problem that has caught up to it this term.
Colapinto might not be a homegrown product, but Red Bull would be unwise to pass up a chance on a star that could be the answer to the team’s long-standing muddle.
