No Red Bull or Williams, but anonymity: Is there a way back into F1?
General
- Ludo van Denderen
Without much difficulty, Franco Colapinto can be seen as the man who opened the door for a lot of future rookies in Formula 1. Indeed, it was the Argentine who showed after his unexpected move from F2 into the Williams car that there are indeed talents who can make an impact in a world where conservatism reigned supreme. But while five youngsters will soon be able to start their first year in F1, Colapinto will be sitting at home. Is there any way back to the sport for him?
What a season it was for Colapinto, who started in F2 and was suddenly promoted in the summer. "Even though you've been watching Formula 1 for so many years, when you're in it yourself, it's completely different. And looking back, I enjoyed every moment, which is the most important thing. It's been a great experience," Colapinto briefly told the media like GPblog. And of course he hopes that that time in F1 will be resumed at some point.
Colapinto on the sidelines
Because sour it is. Oliver Bearman - a temporary substitute at Haas and Ferrari last season - and Colapinto have shown that there is plenty of good talent from the feeder series, but it is the latter who has yet to capitalise on it. Despite a nine Grands Prix streak - with highs and lows - now at his back, Colapinto is left with nothing more than a reserve role at Williams in '25, while Jack Doohan (Alpine), Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls), Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) and the aforementioned Bearman (Haas F1) do have contracts for 2025.
There is talk of a generational shift, but Colapinto is not currently among the drivers who are part of it, despite his generally good period at Williams. Will that change? After all, if the five drivers mentioned are doing as they should, their teams will surely see no reason to send them packing. Or, to put it differently, to bring Colapinto back to F1. Besides, Williams has Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz under contract for the coming seasons, so it could just be that the Argentine spends two seasons at least waiting as a reserve.
F1 has a short memory
So. what now? Formula 1 is an environment with a bad memory. Once out of the sport, you are forgotten in no time, especially when talents will soon re-emerge in the junior classes. Think of Arvid Lindblad, the future F2 driver from the Red Bull Junior Team, who is predicted to have a great future. With the Swedish Briton in F2, the chances of Red Bull inquiring about Colapinto again at Williams - as it did last season - have diminished a little.
Still, Colapinto can continue to hope. After all, he brings something that is of interest to many teams: His Argentinian nationality. Sponsors from that country are only too happy to see Colapinto in Formula 1, and are sure to find their way to the team that puts him in an F1 car. And if the opportunity no longer comes for him? At least Colapinto has fulfilled his dream.
"Becoming an F1 driver for these nine races was definitely my proudest moment of the year," said Colapinto, who went on to say he hopes for more. "There are still many things to improve and many things to learn. Of course, nine races are not enough to reach my peak. Every time I jump in the car, I learn things from the engineers, from the mechanics. Fortunately, everyone in the team has been very supportive, but there is still a long way to go."
Now, there's nothing more than waiting to be given the chance to continue down that road.
This article was written in collaboration with Norberto Mujica
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