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Williams, Red Bull or Alpine? If we listened to the rumors, Franco Colapinto would be everywhere. Thanks to Machiavellian plans and arrangements between several parties. But for the moment, it's a couch potato. A situation which seems totally illogical as the Argentinian has shown that he has the level to race in Formula 1.
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Arriving at Monza to replace a very average Logan Sargeant, he immediately got into the rhythm. So, yes, the Temple of Speed is not the most difficult track for a first. But his times were quite close to his experienced teammate, Alexander Albon. In qualifying, if he hadn't made a mistake, he could have dreamed of a good place on the grid. But also a result at the end of the Grand Prix. 12th to start behind the wheel of an average car, difficult to do better.
Better performance than Logan Sargeant
A few days later, in Azerbaijan, Franco Colapinto amazed the F1 world by qualifying ahead of his teammate: 8th against 9th. But, above all, he finished in the points by bringing four units to his team. So in two races, he managed to do much better than the man he replaced in 36 Grand Prix… This statistic alone justifies his place for this end of the season.
“When we signed Franco, we already knew he was incredibly talented. The typical thing behind this is that teams take drivers like that on a reasonably long contract. We are lucky, Franco did an incredible job”underlines James Vowles, the man at the head of Williams.
His performances caught the eye of many teams. As mentioned previously, we find Williams, Red Bull and even Alpine. But everything is blocked. Finally, on paper. Williams has his two men: Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz. At Red Bull, we don't really know what's going on with Sergio Pérez. The Mexican is very disappointing and could be fired, so the situation could improve for Franco Colapinto. And Alpine could remove Jack Doohan, who was promised the starting position in 2025.
The financial aspect
“Everyone can see it, it's a big reward for us that he's outstanding, and other teams really want the opportunity to work with him. »
All these movements prove that the Argentinian is a little nugget and that his talent no longer needs to be proven. Besides, he wouldn't come empty-handed. His arrival at Williams, in Italy, led to a series of signings. Its sponsors brought a significant nest egg to the Grove stable. Enough to replenish the coffers of a team lacking money a little more. The financial aspect is also important and must be taken into account, in a world which thinks more about wads of greenbacks than the purely sporting aspect.
Historical wink
But on the other hand, we must not forget that he is still young and can make mistakes. This is evidenced by the Sao Paulo Grand Prix where, in the rain, he destroyed his car in qualifying. Which prevented him from starting the race. In a sense, it is possible to forgive him for going off the track, as there were so many accidents in the Brazilian rain.
Historically, Franco Colapinto would bring a breath of fresh air to Formula 1. He is the first Argentinian since a certain Gaston Mazzacane (2000-2001) to have a place in this discipline. Of course, the story is not important at first glance. But this aspect is very important since it is the opportunity to shine the light on a country which has hosted Grand Prix. South American companies could also take advantage of this to show themselves through a promising young person.
