New Williams Driver Franco Colapinto Eager to Seize ‘Insane’ F1 Opportunity

• Williams has locked down its 2025 driver lineup of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz.

• New driver Franco Colopinto, therefore, is auditioning for not only a possible future Williams ride in Formula 1, but for any other team who might have an opening down the road.

• With his promotion, Colapinto is pulling out of his Formula 2 title chase, where he was sixth in the standings.

Franco Colapinto has been a rookie all season—but now the label applies in Formula 1, rather than in Formula 2, as the Argentine prepares for his debut with the Williams F1 team.

It is an unusual situation, given that Colapinto has nine Grands Prix to impress, all while knowing that Williams has locked down its 2025 driver lineup of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, meaning medium-term there is no room at the inn.

Colapinto has been drafted in to race the FW46 across the remainder of the season, after Williams finally lost patience with the struggling Logan Sargeant, with his hefty accident at Zandvoort the final straw.

The 21-year-old Colapinto was still competing in Formula 3 at last year’s Italian Grand Prix, concluding that championship in fourth position, and was expecting to resume his rookie Formula 2 campaign this weekend, in which he is sixth in the championship.

But instead he will be lining up on the Formula 1 grid—capping a rapid rise.

“On Monday I was in the Formula 2 sim preparing for the race here in Monza with my team, so you can imagine how late it was,” Colapinto said on getting the call-up to race in Formula 1.

“I don’t know when they were thinking about but it’s an opportunity that I feel ready for and waiting for for so, so long. As a young kid I was always dreaming of this coming through and happening, so today to be here speaking to all of you, it’s a pleasure and I am extremely grateful we have got this opportunity.

“It came very late, of course, but although I am ready I was not expecting it, to be honest. I cannot explain how happy I am to be here with Williams, they have been very supportive and the opportunity they have given me is insane.”

Colapinto cut a relaxed and assured figure amid the heightened interest, and understandably he is taking things cautiously while also conscious of the opportunity to impress.

“I am going step by step, race by race and corner by corner,” he said. “This is very late news and amazing news to have, so I can be very grateful for the nine races left in the calendar. It is amazing and I am more than happy for this chance.

“I was not expecting to be in F1 in 2025 and now I am racing in 2024, so imagine how happy I am today! I am going to take this opportunity with both hands and try to the best possible.”

Colapinto also had sympathy for his axed predecessor Sargeant.

“It’s very tough,” he said. “I think it’s never easy for the team, for the driver, for the driver coming in to be changed in the middle of the season, and for all those things happening. It’s of course not nice for Logan. He had an amazing opportunity to get into Formula 1. He had some very good performances. I think he got up to speed very quick in Formula 1.

“I hope he has a great performance in whatever he does next. He’s a very good driver, I’m sure he will.”

Albon echoed Colapinto’s sentiments, describing Sargeant as a “super guy” for whom “things didn’t work out, but I’m sure whatever he moves on to do he’ll be very good, I know the pace he has.”

On his new teammate Albon said: “Franco’s now joining, it’s a learning curve to come in, but if I would choose the first race to do [then] Monza’s one of the more forgiving ones.”