Franco Colapinto seeks an F1 seat
After making a positive impression in the first races of his Formula 1 debut, Franco Colapinto started doing what’s expected of a rookie in the latter half of the 2024 World Championship: making mistakes, sometimes glaring ones, such as in the Las Vegas qualifying and the Interlagos GP.
Williams did not confirm him for 2025, but it’s also true that Grove already had two reliable drivers in Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, a real luxury for a team at the back of the grid. Even with better performances, Colapinto wouldn’t have found a spot at Williams. This allowed Alpine to step in, where the South American will immediately push to take Jack Doohan’s seat.
Jacques Villeneuve’s comments
For Jacques Villeneuve, however, Franco Colapinto could have secured a full-time spot without his 2024 errors: “He wasted his opportunities. If you’re given a golden chance, you have to make the most of it. Now he can’t feel sorry for himself,” said the 1997 world champion to Action Network. “He raced a few F1 events, and it’s already surprising he got that chance. He’s a quick driver, but he showed he didn’t properly assess his situation.”
In general, Jacques Villeneuve doesn’t have much faith in the latest wave of young drivers (six new full-time drivers compared to 2024). According to him, Formula 2 hasn’t properly prepared them: “I don’t know what to expect from Gabriel Bortoleto (the reigning champion and new Kick Sauber driver, editor’s note). It’s pointless to expect anything until they enter F1, but now they get there with very little experience. It’s hard to understand how they can reach the highest level in the most important sport in the world at such a young age and with so little experience. These guys do a lot of work in simulators, but once they’re on the track, look what happens—we saw it with Kimi Antonelli in Monza too.” – the former Formula 1 world champion concluded.
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