Franco Colapinto’s successful debut in Formula 1 with Williams can safely be described as the “surprise of the season”. The Argentine driver was invited to replace Logan Sargent before the Italian Grand Prix, and he immediately impressed with his speed, maturity in his approach to things and his ability to work on mistakes.
In Monza he could not properly perform his task in qualifying, but in the race he gained several positions and finished 12th, losing only 14 seconds to his teammate, the experienced Alex Albon. But already on the next stage, in Baku, Franco earned his first points after the results of the race, which he rode in an attacking style and finished 8th. In Singapore he took 11th place, despite performing for the first time on a treacherous city circuit in conditions of very high temperatures and physical stress.
But Colapinto will only drive the British team’s car until the end of the season as Williams has already put together its line-up for 2025, when Carlos Sainz will become Albon’s new teammate. The better the 21-year-old Argentinian performs in the remaining six races, the more he will obviously consolidate the first, quite positive impression he has already made on the world of Formula 1, the greater the chance that other teams will show up . interest in him. And Williams’ management has already appreciated his professionalism.
“I know what I can do and expected to go fast,” Spanish newspaper Marca quotes Franco. “I didn’t have much experience driving this car, but the team decided to put me behind the wheel and I’m happy to have helped Williams. I think we have taken a big step forward together.
Alex has helped me a lot since I came to Formula 1. I think a very positive and important point is that I can concentrate on one of the best drivers in the championship. When I arrived in Monza, he helped me through all the phases of the adjustment: it’s great to start working with such a partner.”
Albon scored 12 points over 18 stages of the season, Colapinto scored 4 after just three races. It will be interesting to see how this balance changes as the championship final in Abu Dhabi approaches.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
