Franco Colapinto pinpoints the moment he ‘knew’ he was ready to race in Formula 1

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Franco Colapinto has been the pleasant surprise that Williams needed after a tough spell with Logan Sargeant in their car.

In fact, the second seat at Williams has been plagued by poor performance for seasons, dating back beyond the days of Nicholas Latifi and Sergey Sirotkin.

They won’t have such issues next year with both Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon signed up to drive their cars, but in the time before then, they may have accidentally solved an issue they didn’t think they could.

Now, the ‘perfect’ Colapinto is on the radar of rival Formula 1 teams, and should his good performances continue, he will warrant a place on the grid for 2026 that Williams will not be able to provide.

Franco Colapinto was ‘ready’ for F1 after singular practice session

Colapinto was thrust into the limelight with very little time to prepare himself for the big jump from Formula 2 to Formula 1.

The Argentine, with just one official session under his belt with practice running at the British Grand Prix, was sent straight in at the deep-end for the Italian Grand Prix – a display of confidence from his team.

He has since scored more points than Sargeant managed in nearly two seasons with the team, and has revealed to the Fast and Curious Podcast when he felt ready to step up to the seat.

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“I was ready after practice in Silverstone,” he said. “I knew I was ready for F1 and I was feeling ready. It is an excellent opportunity at a good moment of my career.

“I have improved in many aspects in what I need to improve to be an F1 driver and to perform in Formula 1.”

How Colapinto can secure his F1 future in the final six races of 2024

The 21-year-old has a few options for next season, with the first being least interesting to him and for his future career prospects – returning to Formula 2.

He was only sixth in the championship, which is why when Williams called him up it was a shock anyways, so he risks harming the reputation he has worked hard to earn in F1 if he fails to claim the title.

Sitting behind two drivers with long-term deals as a reserve and test driver for Williams also doesn’t feel like a proactive enough move for someone who clearly has the talents to compete.

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No doubt there will have been conversations with Sauber, but he’s competing with the like of Valtteri Bottas, Mick Schumacher and Gabriel Bortoleto for that venture, which will likely only be a one-year deal.

That leaves him to focus on 2026, where a lot more seats should open up, and he should be in the picture for those drives as long as he continues to perform well and the sport doesn’t forget about him!