Colapinto the new star? F1 teams are quick to forget their own talents
Column
- Ludo van Denderen
Alpine - or rather advisor Flavio Briatore - is said to be the next person to target Franco Colapinto after Red Bull and Helmut Marko had previously had their eye on the Argentine from Williams. The star of the moment, with a driver who barely has six Grands Prix (with varying degrees of success) behind him, has F1 teams jostling each other to attract him for 2025. In this rat race, they seem to forget they have potential Colapintos onboard themselves, who are in danger of falling into second place.
Sauber finally did what was the best and smartest choice. Gabriel Bortoleto had been high on the wish list for months for 2025, and despite Colapinto suddenly appearing on the scene, the future Audi team did indeed contract the Brazilian. In recent months, Colapinto had also become an option for Sauber after making an impressive Formula 1 debut at Williams.
But Sauber looked at the statistics and results of Bortoleto and Colapinto in the step-up classes and came to the conclusion: Potentially, Bortoleto, who became immediate champion in F3 and looks set to repeat that feat in F2, is a better driver than the Argentinian. In Colapinto's favour, however, it could be said that he has already been able to show himself in the sport. And that is apparently what counts these days: Teams look for certainties but prefer not to test for them within their own ranks. Incidentally, Sauber is also the team that has not given self-trained Théo Pourchaire a chance for years.
Red Bull also has doubts about home-grown talent
Formula 1 teams have been reluctant to give talent a chance for years. Even the Red Bull teams - once set up as a breeding ground for F1 drivers - did not dare for a long time to give their own talent like Liam Lawson the chance over the longer term, preferring to opt for Nyck de Vries and Daniel Ricciardo. The outcome for those older drivers is now known. In Red Bull's case, the team had a driver with Isack Hadjar, who was well above Colapinto in the F2 championship. Yet Red Bull is exploring the possibility of buying Colapinto from Williams, while Hadjar does not seem to have a chance.
Flavio Briatore is also said to have set his sights on Colapinto on behalf of Alpine, who would then replace rookie Jack Doohan. The Australian was trained internally for years by the French team for Formula 1, but - indeed - he lacks Grands Prix experience. Doohan could be a faster driver than Colapinto, but the star of the moment might cost him his place. Before he has even turned a wheel in a Grand Prix.
Why all this? Because Colapinto is The Next Best Thing. The fact that Hadjar, Doohan or anyone else in Formula 2 could be that is apparently put aside for convenience. Formula 1 is a sport for which you must be in the right place at the right time. Colapinto knows all about it now because he 'happened' to get a chance at Williams. And for that, other talents, guys who might have performed better than the Argentinian, are paying the price.