Felipe Massa shares what Williams mechanics have now told him about Franco Colapinto

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Formula 1 has always been extremely popular in South America but the excitement in the region has gone up a notch with the introduction of Franco Colapinto to the grid.

Williams offered Franco Colapinto an unexpected chance to race in F1 after the Dutch Grand Prix when Logan Sargeant’s time in the sport was brought to an end.

Colapinto was having a strong but not spectacular season in Formula 2, racing the likes of Kimi Antonelli, Oliver Bearman and fellow South American Gabriel Bortoleto.

The Argentinian was in the right place at the right time to earn his F1 call-up, especially as Williams had another driver in F2 that they could have called up in Zak O’Sullivan.

O’Sullivan has since dropped out of the series due to a lack of funding, but Colapinto immediately got to grips with the Williams at Monza, getting very close to Alex Albon during practice.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes relationship

A mistake in qualifying followed by a crash in FP1 in Baku are the two errors Colapinto has made but aside from that he’s done a brilliant job and already has four points to his name.

Felipe Massa has been asked about Colapinto’s first three Grand Prix by the Carburando YouTube channel.

Colapinto is starting to put pressure on Alex Albon, which will be giving the Thai driver a taste of what’s to come when Carlos Sainz arrives in 2025.

Massa has connections within Williams having driven for the team for four seasons between 2014 and 2017.

He’s now shared the message he received from the team’s mechanics about Colapinto, as well as giving the 21-year-old some advice on his next steps in the sport.

Felipe Massa shares what Williams mechanics have told him about Franco Colapinto

Massa was asked about how people within the Williams team see Colapinto and he said: “I spoke to some mechanics, not all of them because they were in the air as so many Williams mechanics were in Singapore.

“They were impressed with him, first of all, how brave he is as a person, how nice he is as a person.

“He works professionally but quickly; this is absolutely very important for a team to embrace the driver and for working as a team.”

When asked what was more important for Colapinto, to find a seat in F1 for next year, or to stay at Williams as a reserve driver, Massa joked: “He needs a good manager! A good manager to do a good job for next year and Franco’s future.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Williams driver Franco Colapinto with praise to stats

“He has an important competition with Gabriel Bortoleto who is surely a driver with a very important talent.

“He won Formula 3, he’s first in Formula 2, that is very important, for the teams in Formula 1 to analyse a driver.

“You also have Valtteri Bottas, but Williams already have two drivers for next year, two very good drivers.

“But they cannot know what is going to happen; it’s important to work race by race.”

Massa then warned Colapinto that he can’t afford to follow the example of Felipe Drugovich, who won the F2 championship in 2022 but has been left on the sidelines for too long to be considered an option for an F1 team in the future.

Why Franco Colapinto ‘couldn’t even drive straight’ during his Formula 1 debut

The young Argentinian only had a few days to prepare for his debut in Monza although he had done several simulator sessions at the Williams factory.

Colapinto also impressed in FP1 at Silverstone and it didn’t take him long to get up to speed during each of his three Grand Prix weekends so far.

However, Colapinto admitted that he could barely drive straight at Monza after making a mistake with his steering wheel.

Massa’s message from the Williams mechanics about how Colapinto has performed are very encouraging, and while he looks unlikely to be on the grid in 2025, he needs to make sure during the final six races that he makes a lasting impression for the following year.