Felipe Massa believes Audi should secure the services of impressive Formula 1 debutant Franco Colapinto for 2025.
The Brazilian falls behind other consultants and former drivers who believe Sauber/Stake F1 needs to turn the page on Valtteri Bottas and look to the future.
Audi/Sauber have the last real vacancy on next year’s grid (Red Bull Racing and RB F1 being a separate case), with Williams F1 boss James Vowles recently revealing he was ready to loan the 21-year-old for next year and in 2026.
"I don’t know what I’m going to do next year," Colapinto recognized again this week, who – after replacing Logan Sargeant in the middle of the season – must hand over his driving to Carlos Sainz after the end of the season.
“I want to stay with Williams, I like the team, the way they work,” added the Argentinian. “I would love to drive for them in the future.”
“Otherwise, I don’t know what my options are, but my plan A is to stay with the team. They invested a lot in me when I was racing in the junior categories and I’m grateful to them.”
Vowles, who has the driver under contract, says Colapinto could simply be the reserve driver next year. Plan B? Let Mattia Binotto come and borrow his pilot for a few years.
“Audi should sign him. It’s really impressive what he’s doing as a driver with no Formula 1 experience. He’s quite mature,” lance Massa.
“He was quite aggressive at the start in Singapore, but there were no incidents. In the end, you have to show who you are and he asserts himself.”
“We have to see who will have the opportunity to go to Audi, because Williams already has its two drivers under contract. But maybe surprises can happen, you never know in Formula 1.”
“I think Argentina definitely has a driver who can stay in Formula 1 for a long time and be competitive. It’s also a fantastic motivation for Argentina, because there is a very big crisis there which has been shaking the country since years.”
“So when you see what (Lionel) Messi does, what sport does for the people, for the fans, for the country, I think it’s an incredible feeling for the neighbors of my native Brazil.”
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