2024 was a rollercoaster year for Franco Colapinto, who went from being just an F2 driver to becoming an F1 points-scorer. While he didn’t bag a seat in the pinnacle of motorsport for the upcoming campaign, Colapinto had plenty of other honors to be proud of.
Colapinto made Argentina proud, and it was evident by the number of fans who turned up from the nation to support it. As a result, he was bestowed with a rather big honor — the Olimpia d’Or.
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This award is given to the best Argentinian sportsperson for a given year, and 2024 saw Colapinto share the stage with Emiliano Martinez, the 2022 World Cup-winning goalkeeper for the soccer team. For motorsport in particular, this was a huge moment since only two drivers from Argentina — Juan Manuel Fangio and Agustín Canapino — ever got their hands on this award.
The 21-year-old also completed a personal milestone in 2024: graduating from school. Social media posts show him with a graduate degree from the Bilingual School of Pilar, located in his hometown.
Waiting game for Colapinto
Colapinto was brought in as a replacement for the underperforming Logan Sargeant ahead of the Italian GP, and he started his career at Williams with a bang. A P8 finish in Azerbaijan and a P10 in the USA saw him become one of the most sought-after drivers on the grid.
However, by that time, most of the teams had already confirmed their driver line-ups for the upcoming campaign. Colapinto’s only realistic shot was with RB, the sister team of Red Bull. However, they decided against it in the end, bringing in their academy star Isack Hadjar from F2 instead.
Colapinto now has to wait. A driver of his talent will surely get the nod, but opportunities have to open up for that. In 2026, a new team in Cadillac-General Motors will take to the grid, which will open up two more spots. Colapinto could come into demand then.
Plus, there are also rumors of Alpine being interested in him. The Enstone-based squad has signed Jack Doohan, a rookie, for 2025. If he fails to perform, Colapinto could become their new signing in 2026.
