Franco Colapinto is setting his sights high in Formula 1, aiming to match the performance of his teammate Alex Albon by the end of the 2024 season, despite not having a contract for 2025.
The young Argentine driver recently stepped in for Logan Sargeant at Williams Racing, participating in the final nine races of the current season.
Colapinto made a strong impression during his debut at Monza, finishing 12th after starting from a lower grid position.
His performance, just 14 seconds behind Albon, has caught the attention of the Williams team principal, James Vowles, who believes Colapinto has the potential to improve significantly as he gains more experience.
Vowles disclosed to the media, as quoted by Motorsport Week :
“He has nothing to prove to the world. Other drivers have something to prove to the world.
“What that means is you’re not going to see a driver going out there trying to demonstrate to everyone, I have a deserving place in this world.
“And so therefore he knows that he has time to build into it. We start here in Monza because he has the least experience in Monza in this circumstance and that’s important to him.
“Next, what we’re expecting of him, his own words, this is not mine, is that he knows how to progress race and race.
“He’s done the same in Formula 2 this year. If you look at where he started and where he is now, it’s a very different picture between the two.
“And the way you do that is you build up in a method that’s systematic and he has that available to him.
“His own words are, by the end of the year, he should be matching Alex and on the journey there he should be closing the gap every race weekend. I think those are realistic targets.
“They’re not ones I set him. What I’ve said to him is actually more enjoy the moment and enjoy the element of things. Don’t think about the million details that come towards you.
“Focus on the ones that generate milliseconds of performance and use this as an experience gain. His own targets are that, and I think that’s somewhat reasonable.”
While he is focused on his development and performance, Colapinto is not in the running for a permanent seat with Williams next year, as the team has already secured Carlos Sainz from Ferrari for the 2025 season.
However, his recent performances could open doors for future opportunities, either with Williams or other teams in the F1 circuit.
The team is committed to supporting Colapinto's growth, recognizing that his success could lead to a reserve driver role or even a chance to compete for a seat elsewhere in the future.
Vowles continued:
“So even before he was here coming into this F1 seat, we were looking at his future.
“As a part of our academy, our responsibility is to work with him, with his teams around him as well, to where your future lies. And there’s opportunities in other racing series.
“As I said, depending on how he performs, the future to a certain extent is in his hands.
“What I mean by that is if he performs exceptionally well, clearly he’ll remain here as a reserve driver and we’ll invest in him in terms of TPC testing and other elements that we’re able to do with him at the same time.
"You may see interest from other teams as well, depending on how he performs. So he has a future in that regard.
“And Formula 1 is fickle. Look at what’s changed in six months, let alone one year.
“So no one here around this table knows what opportunities exist in any of the teams in 2025 or 2026, the truth.
“So you’re investing in someone that I think will have opportunity and there are still seats available on the grid as well.”
With the unpredictable nature of F1, the landscape can change quickly, and Colapinto's trajectory remains promising as he looks to make his mark in the sport.
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