Williams are likely to spend the rest of 2024 negotiating with rival teams about their interest Franco Colapinto. Red Bull and Alpine have already enquired about the 21-year-old’s availability, with talks advanced taking place in the background. Both teams are aware that the price for Colapinto is high.
Colapinto talks: Williams hold the cards
It is easy to get carried away by the possibilities that are in front of Franco Colapinto.
The Argentine is now a legitimate target for Red Bull, the reigning champions, who have been in discussions with Williams for some time.
Christian Horner is understood to be particularly enthusiastic about Colapinto, with the Red Bull team principal considering him a potential future teammate for Max Verstappen.
Alpine are also in the mix, with the Enstone squad eager to strengthen their driver line-up ahead of 2026.
However, there is still a long way to go before any agreement can be finalised.
Colapinto still has a multi-year contract with Williams, meaning the Grove-based team are ultimately in control of contract negotiations.
The British team’s preference would be to get their star driver a seat on the 2025 grid – whilst also ensuring he is still contracted to them in the long-term. In essence, a loan deal could be the best of both worlds.
This is obviously not Red Bull’s preferred scenario, since Colapinto would eventually return to Williams.
Red Bull and Alpine still chasing a deal
To sign Franco Colapinto on a more permanent basis, teams must offer Williams a large financial package to prematurely terminate his existing contract.
A figure of $20 million is being reported as the necessary fee to prematurely end the British team’s existing agreement.
On paper, this is a sizable obstacle in securing the 21-year-old’s services. However, Red Bull and Alpine are showing no signs of abandoning their pursuits of Colapinto’s signature because of this fee.
Considering the commercial impact the Argentine is producing in just a handful of races, it is understandable that negotiations are still ongoing behind the scenes.
Given that Red Bull’s annual spending is substantially less than what it was before the budget cap (which excludes driver salaries), money is not a limiting factor.
Because of this, paying a one-off sum for a star driver is hardly a deterrent. The same can be said for Alpine, who certainly aren’t lightweights from a financial perspective.
At least for the foreseeable future, Flavio Briatore and Christian Horner will be hard at work behind the scenes.
