Franco Colapinto has matched Alex Albon’s pace in the three races he has competed as the Thai driver’s teammate. Since a rookie is matching him, Albon seems to be feeling the pressure. After being passed on the opening lap by Colapinto in Singapore, Albon took to his team radio and complained about the Argentine’s aggressive driving. However, Colapinto seems unfazed by Albon’s remarks.
Williams team principal James Vowles explained what Colapinto made of the incident after the Singapore Grand Prix. In an interview with Tom Clarkson, Vowles said,
“I kind of get why Alex in the moment thought that it was an aggressive move. It’s just there’s a cascade of cars that were getting out of the way and I got caught up in it. But what I like about Franco is he’s unfazed. He was unfazed afterwards“.
Williams locked out the sixth row for the race at the Singapore GP. The two drivers got a great launch as Albon went on the outside of the two drivers ahead of him. Colapinto decided to stay on the inside but wasn’t far enough ahead before the braking zone.
Despite the same, the Argentine made a bold move by ‘dive-bombing’ a Ferrari, RB, and the other Williams of Albon into Turn 1. Although it were four wide going into Turn 1, Colapinto yet made the move stick and promoted himself up to the points-scoring positions.
Albon, on the other hand, was on the outermost line and ran wide. Following the move, Albon complained on the team radio by saying, “Franco just dive-bombed! What is he doing?”
While Albon was unhappy with Colapinto on that occasion, several other drivers and experts praised the Argentine for the way he drove. It is for the same reason that Vowles is trying his best to help Colapinto get a race seat in 2025.
Vowles is in talks with Sauber to sign Colapinto
Vowles has been impressed by how quickly Colapinto has settled in after replacing Logan Sargeant midseason this year. However, since Williams have already signed Albon and Carlos Sainz for the 2025 season, they do not have a vacancy. The only team that has an opening for the 2025 season is Sauber.
Vowles has publicly admitted that he has been trying his best to convince Sauber to sign Colapinto as he believes that the Argentine deserves to be in F1. However, if the latest reports are to be believed, then it seems that Sauber have already signed a deal with Valtteri Bottas for the 2025 season.
