Williams considering Colapinto’s future with Sauber in F1
Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool
Williams Racing has expressed a willingness to assist rookie Franco Colapinto in securing a Formula 1 race seat for the upcoming season. Team Principal James Vowles disclosed on Friday that Williams is open to discussions with Sauber concerning Colapinto's future.
Sauber, set to transition into the Audi factory team by 2026, has not yet confirmed their second driver for the next season. Several potential candidates are currently under consideration.
In an interview with Reuters at the Singapore Grand Prix, Vowles mentioned that he had only had a preliminary discussion with Sauber’s newly appointed boss, Mattia Binotto, during the Monza race weekend. This event marked Colapinto's debut in F1, where he replaced the dropped American driver Logan Sargeant.
"From our perspective, Franco is an incredible driver on the grid that is proving himself against Alex, who is a benchmark driver," Vowles said.
"From their perspective, if they wanted to, we'd be open to conversations around it. It's for them to decide, it's their decision for 2025 and beyond, but from my perspective, I think he'd be a very valuable asset," he added.
Colapinto, 21, garnered significant praise at the recent Azerbaijan Grand Prix, finishing eighth in only his second outing. Notably, he qualified ahead of his established teammate Alex Albon, who secured a seventh-place finish.
These points boosted Williams past Renault-owned Alpine, elevating them to eighth in the standings.
"Franco was an unknown entity, but we knew what he could do behind the scenes," Vowles said. "If you look at his career, he's never quite had the time to even do practice sessions. He's always been in a team where someone has very kindly just financed him at the last second. But every time he's performed, and he's doing an exceptional job. He's worthy of his position in Formula One."
Vowles noted that Sauber, one of only two teams along with Red Bull-owned RB yet to confirm their complete 2025 lineup, has the luxury of evaluating Colapinto’s performance in the upcoming races before making a final decision.
F1's season will conclude in early December, with six rounds remaining, including three sprint events post-Singapore.
"If I was them, I'd take the time to see how Franco performs against the next two races, maybe a little bit more than that, then make a decision," Vowles advised.
Sauber’s shortlist also includes their current lineup: experienced Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas and China’s Zhou Guanyu, in addition to Gabriel Bortoleto, the Brazilian F2 leader, who is part of McLaren’s driver development program.
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