Franco Colapinto’s future is fast becoming a constant theme in F1 news outlets. The 21-year-old is at the centre of negotiations between several teams – including Alpine and Red Bull. Despite having their own academy drivers available, signing Franco Colapinto is near the top of Red Bull’s priority list.
Red Bull push to secure Franco Colapinto signature
After two seasons of unsatisfactory performances, Sergio Perez’s future at Milton Keynes is more precarious than ever.
The Mexican driver has scored just 10 points in the last 6 rounds – a statistic that evidences his inability to secure results for Red Bull this season.
Christian Horner has spoken openly about Perez’s failure to perform, pointing towards both Liam Lawson and Franco Colapinto as viable alternatives for 2025.
A little over a month ago, Lawson was the clear front-runner to replace Perez next season.
Red Bull’s preference between Lawson and Tsunoda was clear – with the reigning Champions seeing the Kiwi driver as a safer option to put alongside Max Verstappen.
However, Franco Colapinto’s sensational performances have catapulted him to the top of the shortlist.
It is understood that Christian Horner’s team are in advanced talks with Williams over Franco Colapinto.
There are even suggestions that – rather than putting the Argentine into a VCARB seat – Red Bull are considering making him Verstappen’s teammate in 2025.
Of course, Red Bull can only secure the 21-year-old’s services by reaching an agreement with Williams. This is where things become complicated.
The Williams perspective
As mentioned previously on LWOS, several teams are chasing Colapinto’s signature. Alpine, for example, have also shown concrete interest in recent weeks.
Not only do the French team see Colapinto as a target for 2026, but there are whispers in the paddock that Alpine would be willing to give him a seat as soon as next season.
Regardless, all of these offers are only as relevant as Williams make them.
On one hand, team principal James Vowles insists that getting the Argentine a full-time F1 seat is the primary objective.
However, this does not mean Williams are happy to give away such a promising talent. The Grove-based team have already seen the tremendous commercial impact Colapinto can generate.
In combination with his obvious speed, there are many reasons for Williams to ensure the 21-year-old remains a part of their roster.
Because of this Williams prerogative, Red Bull’s efforts to sign him are being frustrated.
Negotiations likely to continue until the end of 2024
Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have already explained that Colapinto’s long-term contract with James Vowles’ squad complicates negotiations.
Williams would prefer to send Colapinto on ‘loan’ to another team, meaning he would eventually return to the team after a set period. This obviously does not interest Red Bull.
In addition to this, the Austrian squad must pay a significant fee to break Colapinto from his Williams contract early.
All of these factors are partly why, excluding a massive shock, negotiations are likely to continue until the end of 2024.
After all, Red Bull are still evaluating Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda – though their interest in these drivers seems secondary to their new focus.
In any case, the next few weeks should provide more clarity on how negotiations are evolving.
