Williams’ 2024 car has been sub-par, but that doesn’t tell the whole story of why they are P9 in the standings. The Grove-based team’s season has been marred by multiple crashes, including several significant incidents late in the season with Franco Colapinto behind the wheel. In Las Vegas last weekend, he crashed again, leaving James Vowles upset.
“Of course, he was not happy,” said Colapinto. “But at the same time, he was very supportive. James has an incredible way of drawing something positive from any difficult situation. His way of thinking and his leadership have helped me a lot in these moments.”
Before the Sin City weekend, Williams had suffered five huge shunts in Mexico City and Brazil, which forced them to cough up an amount between $3-10 million. Colapinto was responsible for three of those incidents, two of which occurred in Sao Paulo—one in Qualifying and another in the race.
The FW46 challengers (both his and Alex Albon’s) had to be sent to the team’s base in Oxfordshire for repairs. All Vowles wanted was a clean race in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, as Colapinto crashed during Qualifying.
Just scrolling through TikTok and saw this FILTHY perspective on Colapinto’s crash in Vegas a couple days ago. That’s such an insane impact, I can’t believe he got out under his own power.
Credit to kyle7605 on TikTok pic.twitter.com/YybF3cAYbC
— Presley Sorah (@PresleySorah) November 24, 2024
Vowles had every right to be angry with Colapinto for binning the car and handing the team yet another damage repair bill. Still, the Williams team principal toned it down, likely because he suffered a 50G impact, which posed some serious health risks.
Nonetheless, Colapinto finds himself in a tricky situation with only two races left this season. Just a couple of months ago, after his impressive debut in Monza, he was being touted as a future F1 prospect (he has a contract until the end of the season) consistently fighting for points. However, recent mishaps and brushes with the barriers may have jeopardized his chances of securing a seat for 2025, as teams are likely concerned about the impact of potential crashes on their budget caps.
Is Colapinto ready for F1?
F1 can be a tricky sport to decipher. On paper, the 21-year-old’s performances might make him a clear candidate for a full-time seat, but a closer look reveals a more complicated story.
Colapinto has been rumored to be on Red Bull’s radar for 2025. However, his recent crashes highlight just how fast-tracked his ascend to F1 has been, since he spent the majority of the year driving F2 cars. This could make teams realize that maybe, the 21-year-old is not ready.
This should come as a sigh of relief for his teammate Albon though. Many were criticizing the Thai-British driver for a drop in performance while Colapinto shone. But maybe Albon was driving the FW46 within the confines of the car’s abilities as Colapinto pushed his luck a little too far.
