Franco Colapinto to Red Bull a done deal, claims F1 Insider
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher claimed that Williams junior driver Franco Colapinto moving to Red Bull was "fixed" for the 2025 season. The Argentine has garnered praise for all quarters given his quick ascent into the sport after replacing Logan Sargeant this year.
The 21-year-old made his debut for the Grove-based outfit at the 2024 Italian GP in Monza and impressed immediately as he has scored five points in as many races and has pushed his established teammate Alex Albon more regularly.
However, Colapinto won't be able to drive for the Williams F1 as the iconic British team has already decided on Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon as their drivers line up for the 2025 season.
But while appearing on Formel1.de's YouTube Channel, Ralf Schumacher believed that Franco Colapinto would be heading to Red Bull, saying:
“From my point of view, Colapinto is fixed. There was probably a very strong interest from the highest level, even beyond Helmut Marko."
When asked if Colapinto would join the Austrian team or VCARB, the six-time F1 winner reflected:
“I don’t think they’re quite sure about this internally. Sergio Perez is simply so far away at the moment that it would be nice if a young man got the chance.”
"I think it's too early": F1 pundit gives his take on Franco Colapinto joining Red Bull
F1 pundit Karun Chandhok stated that it would be a "mistake" to put Franco Colapinto in the Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen given his lack of experience in the sport.
While appearing on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, the former F1 driver said:
“He is well-suited to an F1 car or the style of driving, but I think it’d be a mistake to put him in a Red Bull.
“I think it’s too early, I think if they were talking about putting him in an RB, I think that’ll be a good, sensible choice and a career progression for him. If they put him in a Red Bull alongside Max, it could destroy him, I think it’d be too soon.”
He believed that "if there’s an option of RB instead of going to Red Bull, I think that would be better for him, and it’s probably a better choice for Red Bull to be making as well.”
Franco Colapinto's management had recently displayed confidence while commenting on the young Argentine driver's chances of getting a seat for the 2025 season. He is currently P19 in the driver's standings and has already scored five times as many points as his predecessor.