F1 News
Colapinto has 'more than earned the chance' at Red Bull seat
As Christian Horner visited the Williams garage in Brazil, speculation has spread regarding whether the Red Bull team principal was inquiring about Franco Colapinto, who has not yet signed a contract for next season. Former driver Johnny Herbert has shared his views on the young Argentine replacing Sergio Perez.
One argument for Perez's security within his Red Bull seat has been the large amount of sponsorship money and interest from the Mexican fans that he brings. Herbert thinks that Colapinto could take over this role with the support of his passionate Argentine fanbase. "What Sergio brings to the team in terms of sponsorship and whether Colapinto could do the same with his Argentine sponsors and that would work out," Herbert said to Vison4Sport.
The excitement from the Argentine fanbase at having a Formula 1 driver from their country has been clear in the paddock and on social media. Herbert notes Colapinto's massive impact on his country, “It’s exciting for Argentina to have a sports star who isn’t a footballer! Colapinto in Argentina has already been compared with Lionel Messi by some. The Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has said that on the day of the Italy GP when Colapinto made his debut, he was watching the F1 on one screen and an English Premier League on another. That’s huge.”
Herbert has been impressed by Colapinto's consistency despite previously struggling to get attention from Formula 1 teams. "In my day when I won F3, I got a couple of F1 tests and people were impressed. Nowadays they are so limited with the testing. So, when Colapinto got the opportunity and delivered as he did, everyone goes, ‘Wow.’ It is only because he gets in the car. And it wasn’t just a one-off, it’s every time he has been in the car."
Why choose Colapinto over Tsunoda and Lawson?
Herbert has weighed up the other competition for the top Red Bull seat, current VCARB drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson. “They have all proved they have that raw speed. It’s taken a little bit longer for Yuki but they’ve stuck with him at RB and he is now achieving and was unlucky not to get on to the podium in Brazil. Liam has been able to jump in and his qualifying is very good as his race pace."
Although he speaks highly of both VCARB drivers, Herbert keeps his belief that Colapinto is more deserving of the top seat. "The one I’d like to see is Colapinto who unlike the other two, hasn’t got a seat and he has more than earned the chance from what we have seen so far.”
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