The praises for Franco Colapinto just do not seem to stop after the Argentine driver has been highly impressive in his short cameo so far. Lewis Hamilton is the latest driver to laud the Williams racer, stating that the 21-year-old has proven that he deserves a spot on the grid.
Hamilton said that Colapinto has “done an incredible job” at Williams despite having been called up last minute to the team as a replacement for the underperforming Logan Sargeant. “He just jumped in and did a fantastic job. I think he’s earned his right to be here,” added the seven-time F1 champion.
Although Colapinto seems to have left a mark in just the five races he has driven in F1 this year with Williams, he will still most likely be without a seat in 2025. Nine of the F1 teams, including Williams, have already confirmed their driver line-ups for 2025.
Back in Brazil and looking to bring some points home this weekend pic.twitter.com/WMW8DdDw8b
— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) October 31, 2024
The only team that has a seat available as things stand is Sauber, with there being an outside possibility that an opening may even emerge in one of the two Red Bull teams depending upon how their drivers perform in the rest of 2024. Both Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have already confirmed their interest in Colapinto, and hence, there remains a slim possibility that he could end up at RB.
Colapinto made his F1 debut at the Italian Grand Prix and was on the money from the get-go. He finished an impressive 12th at Monza before scoring his maiden points at Baku in the very next race by finishing P8. If he continues to impress in such a fashion, Colapinto could get a full-time race seat with Williams themselves in 2026.
How can Colapinto get a race seat at Williams in 2026?
Since both Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz have signed a long-term deal at Williams, it may seem unlikely that an opening will come up at the Grove-based outfit anytime soon. However, that may not be the case if one of them leaves.
Auto Motor und Sport reported that Sainz could leave Williams after just one year as he has an exit clause. “Williams could need him [Colapinto] after just one year. Carlos Sainz apparently does have an exit clause if a place opens up at Red Bull in 2026,” the report read.
And it seems that Colapinto is too keen on staying at Williams as he appreciates the faith the team showed in him. The Argentine said that if he fails to get a race seat in 2025, “then hopefully in 2026 or ’27” he will get one.
