In addition to the spectators, Franco Colapinto, who was replaced by Logan Sargeant at Williams, was a real surprise for F1 players, experts and the trade press.
The Argentinian rider belonging to the academy of the Grove team presented himself at the Italian Grand Prix with a 12th place, in his second weekend, he already scored points in Baku, finished in the top 10 again in Austin, but wherever and whenever he led, even against multiple champions, he led enthusiastically, eclipsing his teammate, the much more routine Alexander Albon.
The 21-year-old driver started a real F1 fever in his country, but as you could see at the Grand Prix in Sauo Paulo, he also put the whole of Latin America behind him in a few weeks, so in addition to his racing potential, he can also have serious marketing value.
Since Albon has a long-term contract with Williams, and Carlos Sainz, who will transfer from Ferrari in 2025, will be the other driver, the future is unclear for Colapinto, but it is also clear that many people have noticed him.
Among others, Red Bull, as it is still an open question, who will be Max Verstappen’s teammate next year, whether they will keep Sergio Perez, who already has a contract, or whether they will promote Liam Lawson or Juki Cunoda from VCARB, and if so, with whom they can replace one of them .
Helmut Marko, the director of the energy drink manufacturer’s pilot program, and Red Bull Racing’s team boss, Christian Horner, have already hinted that they are interested in Colapinto, but acquiring him will certainly not be easy, as the young Argentine’s value has increased thanks to the hype, the And Williams had already engaged him long before.
According to Dutch RacingNews365 according to the boss of Williams, James Volwes, accordingly “priced” Colapinto, allegedly 20 million dollars (7.5 billion HUF) would be needed to buy out the youngster.
The transaction can be fueled by the continuous line-up of Argentine/Latin American sponsors behind Colapinto, not to mention the Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, who was previously listed as the richest man in the world, who has been Perez’s supporter at Red Bull until now, but in connection with Claro’s mobile brand still uses the pilot as an advertising face in Argentina.
From a market point of view, can Perez be exchanged for Colapinto, is it worth it for the youngster to join Red Bull – especially if it’s only the smaller team – is it even worth it for the energy drink manufacturer to pay so much for someone when they also have their own children? We can eagerly await the answers, which we will probably receive before the end of the season.
Among other things, we also talked about Colapinto’s future in the episode of Vezess’ Formula 1 podcast, Csapatrádió following the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, you can watch and listen to the broadcast here:
Source: www.vezess.hu
