Young Colapinto Shines in F1, Wins Praise from Hamilton,

Hamilton and Verstappen applaud Colapinto’s impact, marking him as a standout in his debut F1 season.

Lewis Hamilton commended Franco Colapinto’s progress since his debut at Monza, with the young Williams F1 driver stepping in for Logan Sargeant at short notice, following a single FP1 session at Silverstone, and already securing points on two occasions.

“I think he’s done an incredible job,” Hamilton remarked. “He was called up last minute and thrown straight into the deep end of this sport. Most of us, if we get the chance to enter this sport, have some preparation.”

“Take young Kimi [Antonelli] as an example—he’ll have a substantial amount of test days before his first race, probably over 20 days or something like that in the car, which is unprecedented.”

“As for Franco, he didn’t have that opportunity. He jumped straight in and did a fantastic job. It’s always wonderful to see young talents step up and get a chance to shine, and I believe he demonstrated that in his first race.”

“We had a great little battle. It was very safe, hard but fair, and I think he’s earned his place here. There’s still a spot open. He says it’s not his decision to make, but my advice would be to push and do absolutely everything it takes.”

“Ultimately, he just needs to focus on his work each weekend, as he’s been doing. I hope he has good people around him who are doing the right work to ensure he’ll be racing next year.”

Max Verstappen, meanwhile, believes the Argentine deserves a place in Formula 1, though he acknowledges the complexities caused by teams’ hesitancy with younger drivers: “It’s hard to answer because he’s still under contract with Williams. Williams are likely scratching their heads over what to do with Franco.”

“But personally, I think it shows that teams generally need to be more open to placing young talent and trusting them. Now we’re in this situation where he’s a Williams junior and might need to leave to find a seat for next year.”

“They could have placed him in their own car. It’s complicated. Does he deserve a spot on the grid? With what he’s shown so far, yes, I believe he does. But it’s not easy to find a seat right now.”