F1 News: Colapinto’s 2025 race seat chances rest with Red Bull (3rd Update)
(GMM) Franco Colapinto is on the way to Red Bull, according to former F1 driver and now pundit Ralf Schumacher.
The impressive rookie needs to vacate his Williams seat at the end of the year, but there have been rumors the team might keep him onboard in 2025 and allow Carlos Sainz to switch to Red Bull.
Williams rejects that theory outright, confirming that Sainz will test the 2024 car in the post-Abu Dhabi test before lining up on the grid next season.
“Carlos will drive for Williams alongside Alex Albon in 2025, forming one of the most formidable driver lineups on the grid,” the team declared in a statement.
Behind the scenes, fevered negotiations have been taking place between Williams, 21-year-old Colapinto’s management, and potential alternative teams for 2025 including Red Bull and Alpine.
Schumacher, however, says it’s clear to him where the Argentine will end up.
“There was a lot of interest in him, and not only from Helmut Marko,” he told formel1.de. “I think Colapinto is a certainty at Red Bull.”
Williams boss James Vowles has apparently been demanding $20 million to release Colapinto from his 2025 contract, but Red Bull could cover that with the youngster’s immense new commercial appeal within Argentina.
“Colapinto can bring a whole package of sponsors,” said Schumacher. “He will have closed some big deals.”
Some think Colapinto could replace the struggling Sergio Perez, although Schumacher admits a spot at Red Bull’s junior outfit RB is also possible.
“That’s a good question,” said Schumacher. “I don’t think Red Bull knows exactly either.
“Internally, the situation between Christian Horner and Helmut Marko is still not optimal. Then you have Max’s father, who is really not happy with the whole situation. It’s exciting to see how it’s all solved, but I’m pretty sure that Colapinto will end up in one of those cars.”
Schumacher does admit that a young driver like Colapinto is a risk for Red Bull Racing, even though he’s impressed with how quickly the latest influx of rookies are adapting.
“But you can still see that Formula 1 is no pony park,” he said. “You can see it with (Oscar) Piastri. It’s not quite as smooth as it sometimes looks.”
November 3, 2024
(GMM) Speculation is mounting that Max Verstappen will have a surprise new teammate in 2025.
Rumors around struggling Sergio Perez’s future have been swirling all season, but he had a solid sprint to P8 at Interlagos on Saturday and even set the fastest lap.
“It’s not about one result,” team boss Christian Horner told Viaplay.
“We need both drivers. McLaren has two drivers at the front, Ferrari had that last weekend as well. We need both cars at the front. Checo knows that too.”
Team advisor Dr Helmut Marko said on Friday that Perez will at least stay put until the Abu Dhabi finale, but Horner insisted “There is no deadline” on any decision.
Marko told Sky Deutschland on Saturday: “Nothing is set in stone at the moment. Let’s see how things develop.”
Things seemed to develop at Interlagos when Horner was spotted leaving Williams’ hospitality area, triggering rumors he is interested not only in Franco Colapinto, but possibly also Carlos Sainz Jr.
Argentinean journalist and former racing driver Ruben Daray, however, announced that he knows 21-year-old countryman Colapinto has signed a deal to replace Perez at Red Bull Racing.
“Thanks for informing us,” Colapinto’s manager Jamie Campbell-Walter reportedly replied on the social media post. “Funny that you know before me.”
However, amid the revelations, the official Red Bull Argentina social media account posted multiple emoji eyes.
Horner is not hiding his interest in Colapinto.
“We have to keep an eye on the driver market,” he said in Brazil. “I think Franco has the qualities to be a potential star of the future.
“He is one of this new generation of talents like Liam Lawson, who is also doing a great job. Oliver Bearman has done a great job again this weekend. They’ve stepped in and done a great job so far.
“Franco is a great driver, and he has a lot of support, especially here,” Horner added. “Our priority is our two drivers, but you have to be aware of other drivers as well.”
November 1, 2024
According to this source, Red Bull has signed Franco Colapinto to drive alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull in 2025.
Christian Horner was seen leaving the Williams’ hospitality before the start of FP1 by @ESPNArgentina pic.twitter.com/Vh4dYBYBQE
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) November 1, 2024
October 28, 2024
(GMM) Franco Colapinto’s hopes of staying in Formula 1 for 2025 now appear to rest solely with Red Bull and Williams boss James Vowles.
The Argentine has stunned the paddock with his meteoric debut and likeable personality since replacing the ousted Logan Sargeant mid-season.
However, his seat will be taken by Carlos Sainz next year.
“He is warming up the seat well,” Sainz, the Mexican GP winner in his Ferrari, laughed.
“Seriously, I think Franco is having some spectacular first races – he is doing a great job in Formula 1. I think that you can’t ask for more than what he has done, so congratulations and keep going.”
The 21-year-old Colapinto, though, admits that at the moment, he has “nothing” lined up for 2025 except the fallback option of the Williams reserve seat.
It is believed Audi-Sauber has now ruled out Colapinto for 2025. And despite Vowles’ efforts to loan the rookie to Red Bull’s junior team RB, Dr Helmut Marko insisted in Mexico that “We are not going to train anyone for another team.”
Therefore, if Colapinto and RB get together for 2025, it would require him to be released or bought out of his Williams contract.
Interestingly, Williams boss Vowles entered the Mexico GP circuit on Sunday with his Red Bull Racing counterpart Christian Horner.
“It is normal for teams to talk to drivers, and we will see how that develops,” Vowles said when asked about the Colapinto-to-RB rumors.
“But as you can imagine, I can’t say anything publicly when I’m in a sensitive negotiation.”
Colapinto’s saving grace could be Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, who admitted on Sunday that Telmex may need to depart Red Bull Racing due to clashes with rival telco AT&T.
Might Telmex pay to buy out Colapinto’s Williams contract and seek refuge at RB?
“If we have a chance to do something with Franco, it would be separate from Checo,” said Slim, referring to Sergio Perez. “We have seen it in the past, when we sponsored several drivers, like with Bruno Senna and Pietro Fittipaldi, and when we had two Mexican drivers, like with Checo and Esteban (Gutierrez).
“We will always support the Latin American drivers. Franco has done very well, but our main project has always been to support the Mexican drivers, and Checo is without a doubt the one who represents us all,” he added.