Franco Colapinto’s Williams engineer reveals what ‘you have to help him’ with despite superb performances

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Franco Colapinto has performed admirably during the opening stages of his Formula 1 career, looking assured in the midfield.

The Williams driver has adjusted well despite making his debut at the Italian Grand Prix after just one first practice session in Britain.

Colapinto has been confident on and off the circuit, dealing with the added pressure and media attention of being a Formula 1 driver.

The Argentinian driver has had a lot of support from his home country and he has been collaborating well with the team to build on his good performances.

He has developed a good relationship with his race engineer Gaetan Jego, which is vital to have clear communication over a race distance.

The Frenchman explained to Ole that Colapinto has been very impressive in his first four Grand Prix starts, but he needs help maximising the fine details.

Gaetan Jego feels Franco Colapinto needs help translating his feelings into words

Colapinto has made very few errors on the track in Formula 1, looking composed behind the wheel and having the presence of mind to battle effectively against more experienced drivers.

The Williams driver has been losing small amounts of time to his team, Alex Albon, as Colapinto is not maximising the controls on the steering wheel.

Feedback is a key aspect for a driver in Formula 1 to progress the team and make the car go quicker, particularly in the early stages of a weekend, refining the setup.

Jego explained that Colapinto has been performing well and is quite similar to Albon, although he needs to refine the way he gives feedback.

READ MORE: Why Red Bull simply have to sign Franco Colapinto after dazzling US Grand Prix performance

He said: “I think he understands the car well. It’s interesting. He’s quite detailed. Sometimes you have to help him a little to understand what he feels and put it into words.

“I think he’s not very different to Alex (Albon). He’s understanding very well and being very sensitive to the car itself, which is very useful, and even in the simulator, which is very different to the racing car, he’s always quite detailed and can give us good direction and understand what the limitations are.”

Franco Colapinto needs to keep up the momentum to be on the grid in 2025

Over his first four races in Formula 1, he has driven well, and Colapinto is a contender to race for Sauber next season if he keeps performing.

The Argentinian driver is in contention to partner Nico Hulkenberg in 2025 although there are multiple contenders for the seat.

Colapinto could be battling Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto to drive for Sauber, although the McLaren junior has less experience in F1 than the Williams driver.

If he were to join the grid, it would build more momentum in Argentina and there may be more talks of Formula 1 returning to the nation for the first time since 1998.