Who is Franco Colapinto, the driver replacing Sargeant at Williams F1?

Who is Franco Colapinto?

Franco Colapinto was born in Pilar, Buenos Aires in Argentina on 27 May 2003. He started karting at the age of nine and quickly dominated the Argentine karting circuit. He won national titles in 2016 and 2018, but his international breakthrough came when he won gold in the first karting competition at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games. This laid the foundation for his move to single-seaters.

Colapinto in Spanish Formula 4

Colapinto made his debut in single-seaters in 2018 during the final weekend of the Spanish F4 championship and immediately impressed with a win. In 2019, he dominated the competition with 11 wins, 13 podiums and 10 pole positions, which earned him the title. His performance caught the attention of none other than Fernando Alonso, who supported him through his FA Racing team.

Colapinto in Formula 3

The F4 was followed by entries in the Toyota Racing Series, the Formula Renault Eurocup and both the European and Asian Le Mans series. In 2022, Colapinto moved to the FIA Formula 3 with Van Amersfoort Racing. He immediately took pole position on his debut and won two races in his first season. In 2023, he made the switch to MP Motorsport and became part of the Williams Racing Driver Academy.

Colapinto in Formula 2

At the end of 2023, Colapinto made the move to F2, where he again drove for MP Motorsport. He also became part of the Williams Racing Driver Academy. He made his F1 debut during the first free practice for the 2024 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, having already participated in the 2023 post-season test in Abu Dhabi. He made his F1 debut during the first free practice for the 2024 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, having already participated in the 2023 post-season test in Abu Dhabi.

Colapinto replaces Sargeant at Williams and makes F1 debut in 2024

Ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, Williams announced that Sargeant will be replaced by Franco Colapinto from the F1 race at Monza. This came after Sargeant crashed his car, which had been fitted with a completely new update package, for the umpteenth time during free practice for the Dutch GP at Circuit Zandvoort. Colapinto, who until then was active in Formula 2 on behalf of MP Motorsport and was sixth in the championship, will finish the 2024 season in place of the American.

This article has been written in collaboration with Matt Gretton