Fernando Alonso predicts Franco Colapinto’s return to Formula 1, emphasizing his talent and recalling their early partnership in Spanish F4.
Fernando Alonso believes Franco Colapinto will return to the Formula 1 grid “sooner or later.”
Alonso’s management company, A14 Management, successfully secured a seat in F1 for 2025 with Sauber, owned by Audi, for its top protégé, the newly crowned Formula 2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto.
However, Alonso also has ties with Colapinto, dating back to the young Argentine’s time in Spanish F4, when the two-time world champion provided financial support.
The 21-year-old rookie first impressed after stepping in mid-season for a struggling Logan Sargeant at Williams, sparking rumors of interest from Red Bull or Alpine F1 for 2025.
This comes as Carlos Sainz takes Colapinto’s Williams seat next year. The former Ferrari driver began his new adventure with Williams on Monday, driving the 2024 car during a “filming day” in Abu Dhabi, followed by today’s official testing sessions.
Sainz’s debut with Williams coincided with the team announcing that Spanish bank Santander would sponsor Williams effective immediately.
As for Colapinto, his promising start in F1 faltered recently with a series of crashes. His season—and his F1 stint for now—ended with a collision with Oscar Piastri and a mechanical failure-induced retirement.
“It wasn’t the ending I hoped for, which is a shame because I wanted to finish on a positive note. I think we had good pace, but somehow we couldn’t show it,” he said.
Williams team boss James Vowles stated in Abu Dhabi that a mid-December deadline had been set for another team to recruit Colapinto for 2025.
“If Red Bull or Alpine don’t want him by mid-December, he will stay with us as a reserve driver in 2025. We are always open to discussions. Whether it’s for two, three, or four years, everything has a price.”
As for Alonso, Colapinto’s recent incidents in the final races shouldn’t heavily damage his reputation.
“I think he showed, especially in those first races, that he had no issues or incidents.”
“He demonstrated his speed, he demonstrated his talent.”
“The problem with Formula 1 is that there are only 20 seats, but I believe Franco has managed to show his cards and his identity, so an opportunity will come for him sooner or later.”
When asked about his next plans, Colapinto said before leaving Abu Dhabi: “The plan is to return to Argentina, spend time with my family, and step away from all this bad luck.”
“We need to keep our heads high and keep moving forward. There will likely be opportunities in the future. It was just a bad streak—the bad luck we’ve had lately was crazy.”
“Now, we need to take a bit of rest and come back stronger.”
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Colapinto’s F1 Journey Backed by Alonso’s Vision Colapinto’s F1 Journey Backed by Alonso’s Vision
