FORMULA 1
The Argentine could take up a place at Red Bull from next year
Published on November 8, 2024 at 12:37 pm
Franco Colapinto Credit: Reproduction I Social media @francolapinto
Although there is officially only one place left on the grid for 2025, Formula 1 could still see some musical chairs in the coming months. There are three Grands Prix left until the end of the season, and Red Bull, the team of three-time world champion Max Verstappen, is in the spotlight for future moves in the driver market.
RB (formerly Toro Rosso and AlphaTauri) has confirmed the presence of Japanese Yuki Tsunoda for 2025. The second wave is, theoretically, open. Recently, the Red Bull satellite team made an important change to its cockpits: Australian Daniel Ricciardo left and New Zealander Liam Lawson joined
Lawson is considered the favorite for the vacancy, but he could also be rewarded for his good performance with a promotion to the main team, Red Bull, and team up with Verstappen in 2025, a year that could be the Dutchman’s last in the team.
This is due to the fact that Mexican Sergio Pérez is disappointing on board the Austrian car. This way, the position at RB would remain open and hiring someone from outside the Red Bull academy became a reality, with Argentine Franco Colapinto emerging as a strong candidate.
Verstappen and Pérez’s future also enters Red Bull’s calculations
About to win the fourth title, Verstappen is coveted by Mercedes for 2026 – when Formula 1 will undergo a revolution in engine regulations – and has seen, throughout this year, the personal structure of the Austrian team suffer losses, with controversies involving the boss Christian Horner and the departure of aerodynamics wizard Adrian Newey to Aston Martin. Thus, Red Bull may be forced to weigh in the long term and dare to bring in a more relevant driver to replace the multi-time champion soon.
Red Bull currently occupies third place in the Constructors’ World Championship (with 49 points less than leader McLaren). The team is not at the top precisely because of the discrepancy between the performance of Verstappen and Pérez. The Mexican is only eighth in the Drivers’ World Championship, with an incredible 242 points less than the Dutchman, but he has a contract until the end of 2026. The European press points out that the contract could be broken.
Colapinto in 2025? Red Bull is not alone
Colapinto made his Formula 1 debut at the Italian GP, in Monza, in September, for Williams. Since then, he has participated in six races and scored five points, just seven less than his teammate, Thai Alex Albon, who participated in all 21 races of the year. The Argentine’s performance on and off the track – especially on social media – has attracted a lot of attention from teams.
Horner, from Red Bull, has already admitted that he has been seeking information regarding Colapinto’s availability for 2025. It remains to be seen whether the interest would be to replace Pérez in the main team or form a partnership with Tsunoda at RB.
However, Red Bull may have strong competitors in this dispute. According to the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, the head of Alpine, Flavio Briatore, would be preparing an offensive to keep Colapinto and demote Australian Jack Doohan – son of the historic motorcycle champion Mick Doohan and who never even debuted – to the position of booking again.
Colapinto’s possibilities include staying as a reserve at Williams or becoming a starter at Red Bull, RB or Alpine.
While behind the scenes there is intense activity, inside the tracks Formula 1 stops until the weekend of November 23rd, when the Las Vegas GP takes place, in the United States. Then, two more stops: Lusail, in Qatar, and Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.
