Heading into the penultimate round of the year in Qatar, there are still unanswered questions about the 2025 grid. Perhaps the biggest unknown is whether Red Bull will sign Franco Colapinto from Williams. As it stands, there are many different scenarios Colapinto could find himself in.
Negotiations over Franco Colapinto to continue until the end of 2024
At various stages this year, Red Bull have indicated they are running out of patience with Sergio Perez.
Despite opting to keep Perez at the team until now, Helmut Marko and Christian Horner’s comments about the 34-year-old have not been especially positive in recent weeks.
Then again, with just 26 points in the last 10 rounds, making a defence for Perez’s performances is a near impossible task
In any case, Red Bull are alternatives for the 2025 season. This also applies for VCARB, with both Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson under evaluation until the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi.
Whilst it is difficult to predict what changes the Austrian team will make, at least some alterations seem inevitable.
After all, Helmut Marko and Christian Horner have both admitted the team need a stronger line-up if they want to fight for the constructors title next year.
Colapinto an option for VCARB
Until now, there have been two main schools of thought about where Franco Colapinto fits into Red Bull’s plans.
The first is understood to have been Christian Horner’s preference – putting Colapinto directly into Red Bull for next season.
Meanwhile, most evidence suggests that Helmut Marko would rather put the Argentine into VCARB for 2025 – instead looking at Tsunoda or Lawson as Red Bull candidates.
According to a report from gpblog, Red Bull’s owner Oliver Mintzlaff was seen in the Williams motorhome last weekend.
Discussions about potentially putting Colapinto into VCARB are said to have taken centre stage.
Plenty of uncertainties to clarify
Of course, Red Bull’s plans for the 21-year-old are only half of this story.
Williams, who still have a multi-year agreement with Colapinto, ultimately have the last say on where he drives next season.
Because of this, Red Bull must deliver a proposal to Williams that they deem as acceptable. Considering that Williams have reason to keep ties with Colapinto – especially with 2026 in mind – this will be no easy task.
Inevitably, Sergio Perez is a key player in this seemingly endless driver saga.
Despite failing to deliver the necessary results this year, Christian Horner has proven extremely reluctant to replace him.
Considering that Perez’s results have been relatively stagnant for the last two seasons, it is difficult to pinpoint Red Bull’s thought process.
For Colapinto, Tsunoda and Lawson, the next few weeks will be a continuation of an increasingly long waiting game at Red Bull – which has several possible outcomes.
