F1 | Williams considering loaning Colapinto to Audi

When a driver successfully climbs into a Formula 1 single-seater, life changes quickly. In the space of fifteen days, Franco Colapinto has gone from being a young man off the radar to a talent that Williams is preparing to secure. It is not the first time that it has happened, but in the case of the twenty-one year old Argentine, a path that has not been linear has never allowed him to plan for the long term.

In 2021 his career seemed destined for the endurance world, Colapinto’s choice to engage in the ELMS championship (and the 24 Hours of Le Mans) pointed in this direction, but in extremis he also managed to combine a program in F.Regional. With the help of former GT driver Jamie Campbell-Walter, now owner of a management agency, Colapinto managed to plan his entry into F.3 in 2022, obtaining two victories and entering, at the end of the year, the Williams driver academy.

The fourth place obtained in F.3 in 2023 and the debut in F.2 this season (with a victory in Imola) were not results capable of turning his career around, then suddenly came the call from Williams. A choice greeted with surprise, but Colapinto has so far proved to be definitely up to the task, managing to amaze the English team itself.

For team principal James Vowles it was a sigh of relief. The decision to reconfirm Logan Sargeant last winter, and the ‘no’ to Mick Schumacher when the team decided to give up on the American driver, had put him under pressure. Then, as always happens when things go well, everything is forgotten, and Vowles is now enjoying the moment. The eighth place obtained by Colapinto in Baku is gold for the team’s constructors’ championship and a gamble won for Vowles.

What does the future hold?

Now, however, with the same speed with which Colapinto has managed to become a young driver to follow, we are already moving on to the next chapter. In reality, the exam is still far from being concluded, given that Franco still has seven races to compete before the end of the season, but there is already talk of a talent who risks being left without a steering wheel in 2025. Colapinto will not return to Formula 2, but Williams has declared itself available to sell its driver to another team (which in fact can only be Audi) but with one condition.

“In two races Franco has shown the world that he deserves a seat in Formula 1,” Vowles said after the race in Baku. “For my part, I have always believed that you should let the drivers who deserve it race. We have already defined our line-up for next season for some time, but we will check the possibility of working with Audi. I am proud as a father of what Franco is achieving, and I want him to succeed.”

For Audi, a young driver like Colapinto could be an interesting choice. The Argentine will arrive at the end of the season with an experience of nine race weekends, an added value that can make the difference when talking about young drivers. There is, however, an obstacle. Williams does not intend to sell Colapinto outright, Vowles’ plan is open to the possibility of a loan but on the condition that he remains under his management. “I will not enter into the contractual agreements – admitted Vowles – but Franco will remain within our family. This does not mean that he cannot race elsewhere, but the objective remains to see him return to Williams one day and race for this team”.

For Audi, Colapinto’s situation is similar to that of Gabriel Bortoleto, the current leader of the Formula 2 championship. The Brazilian is part of the McLaren Academy, and in this case too there are no seats available for him in the ‘papaya’ box. If Audi sets the condition of putting a free driver in the car (a sensible request given that a large manufacturer cannot afford to develop young people for other teams) there will be the risk that in 2025 both Bortoleto and Colapinto will find themselves in the role of third driver waiting for opportunities that are difficult to glimpse at the moment.

The only solution that could allow one of them to be at the start of the next F.1 world championship seems to be an economic compensation to free themselves from the existing contracts. In this case, if Audi were to decide to focus decisively on a young driver, paying a termination clause (which, although high, is not comparable to the salary of a good driver) will not be an obstacle.