Franco Colapinto has been so impressive in his short F1 cameo so far, that there have been reports of Red Bull’s sister team, RB wanting to sign him for 2025. Although the Faenza-based outfit seems interested in the Argentine driver, Karun Chandhok has now revealed why they are not the favorites.
As per the Indian former driver, it has all to do with the nature of the contract that RB would want if they signed Colapinto. Chandhok believes that RB will not want to sign the Argentine on loan and a team like Williams, on the other hand, will want to keep hold of him in some way, having spent immense resources in training him. Per Sky Sports F1, Chandhok said,
“The team are keen to help him stay in F1 but they want to keep him on a bungee cord and not let him go because, otherwise, Williams have trained him up for someone else to get the benefit. The only way would be if Williams can have him on a lease but if you’re RB, are you keen on that?”
According to Chandhok, Red Bull have historically not signed any drivers on loan and perhaps will want to maintain the same in the future. Since Red Bull “want to own that contract”, Chandhok believes it will not be easy for them to sign Colapinto.
Hence, he believes Sauber are the favorite to sign the Argentine, provided they are interested in him. Chandhok’s analysis of the situation seems similar to what Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko recently said when quizzed about the possibility of them signing Colapinto.
Marko: Red Bull not interested in training Colapinto for Williams
It seems that the exact reasons why Williams are keen to keep hold of Colapinto are also the reasons why Red Bull are hesitant to sign the Argentine on a loan deal. Marko recently told Kleine Zeitung,
“The problem with him (Colapinto) is that he has a long-term contract with Williams. But that’s not interesting for any team. You don’t want to train a driver for another team”.
Franco Colapinto is unlikely to be at the wheel of a Red Bull-owned RB in 2025, Dr Helmut Marko has revealed.
At the Mexican GP, Sky Italia reporter Roberto Chinchero reported that Red Bull has made an offer to the Argentine rookie, who has impressed since replacing Logan… pic.twitter.com/nlIzl49VOl
— F1 Chronicle (@F1Chronicle) October 26, 2024
The only way RB may consider signing Colapinto is if Liam Lawson fails to deliver in the remaining races or if Red Bull decide to part ways with the underperforming Sergio Perez. This is the only way a spot on one of their two teams can open up for 2025 as Max Verstappen has a long-term deal with Red Bull and RB also extended Yuki Tsunoda’s contract further.
