The F1 2025 driver lineup is almost entirely settled, with one big exception: The Red Bull camp. Rumors persist about Sergio Perez’s future, and there’s still an open seat at sister team VCARB. But who’s set to sort out the grid?
Young Argentine racer Franco Colapinto emerged as a potential contender after his stunning mid-season debut with Williams – but Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has dampened potential enthusiasm for Colapinto joining the team.
Helmut Marko states another driver has “done much better” than Franco Colapinto
Several teams have seen a mid-season driver shake-up in the Formula 1 2024 season, with Williams and VCARB standing as the two most prominent examples.
Logan Sargeant was dropped by Williams after the Dutch Grand Prix in late August, to be replaced by Argentina’s Franco Colapinto.
Colapinto almost instantly outperformed the American driver. In the eight races he’s contested so far, Colapinto has finished in the points twice, taking home a five-point total that far exceeded Sargeant’s career total.
After the Singapore Grand Prix, it was VCARB’s turn to shake things up. After finishing 18th, Daniel Ricciardo was dropped from the team, and Liam Lawson was brought in to finish out the season.
Lawson has taken home two ninth-place finishes as the team struggles to find its footing in the latter part of this season.
But Lawson’s seat isn’t guaranteed to last into 2025, and Colapinto’s instantly quick performances saw him line up as a potential option.
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Unfortunately for Colapinto, several large crashes have dampened both his momentum and the enthusiasm for declaring him a generational talent.
And that includes Helmut Marko, who serves as a Red Bull advisor, particularly where junior drivers are concerned.
Speaking to Small newspaperMarko admitted, “Liam Lawson has done much better than Colapinto. I somehow forget that.”
And there’s also hope that Lawson could leap further than merely VCARB. Sergio Perez’s future at Red Bull Racing is very much in doubt, and Liam Lawson appears to be poised to make the leap to the senior team after just two partial seasons in the sport.
That doesn’t mean Colapinto will be sneaking into the VCARB line-up, though.
Red Bull has an eye for young talent, and its junior program is stacked with young drivers like Isack Hadjar and Arvin Lindblad. both of whom have been firmly in the conversation for potential junior team seats over the next few years.
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