Jose Maria Lopez shares ‘the truth’ about Franco Colapinto’s start in Formula 1

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Franco Colapinto has boosted interest in Formula 1 in his native Argentina as the first Argentine to race at the highest level in 21 years.

The Williams driver was brought in to replace the accident-prone Logan Sargeant ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.

Colapinto hit the ground running at Monza, looking decisive in the midfield as he recovered from a small error in qualifying that rendered him 16th on the grid.

He kept up the good form with points-scoring finishes in Azerbaijan and at the United States Grand Prix. Colapinto has also pushed his teammate Alex Albon over a race distance, which Sargeant rarely could.

His first few races have been very strong, although the Argentine endured a difficult weekend at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix after crashing out of the main race in the rain and also in qualifying.

Jose Maria Lopez is one of Argentina’s most successful drivers, having taken the overall victory at Le Mans in 2021. He explained to the Corazon de F1 YouTube channel the clear aspects of Colapinto’s career so far.

Jose Maria Lopez believes ‘the truth’ is that Franco Colapinto is very talented

Colapinto could lead Argentina back onto the F1 calendar in 2027 if he stays on the grid after sparking much more popularity in the country around the sport.

This would be a significant step for the country which has a deep-rooted passion for motorsport outside of F1 but hasn’t hosted a Grand Prix since 1998.

He could have a similar effect to Max Verstappen in the Netherlands as the Dutch Grand Prix returned in 2021 after the Red Bull driver boosted F1’s popularity in the country.

READ MORE: Juan Pablo Montoya says he would sign Franco Colapinto rival if he was Red Bull boss

Colapinto has been very impressive behind the wheel and has looked composed in interviews, soaking up the pressure of added media attention.

Lopez is well-versed in motorsport and took second place at Le Mans this season for Toyota in an emotional event.

He explained that Colapinto has been impressive and the ‘truth’ is that he is very talented, making the Williams driver good enough to compete at the highest level.

Lopez said: “He is already doing very well. It is impressive what he has done, getting into a car with so little experience. Being there already with his teammate who is a very good driver who has been there for many years. The truth is that he has good talent and he has shown it in F1.

“Now I think what depends is that we say one more time because I think he was given the opportunity because he was in the right place at that right time.

“Just the right thing that had to be opened in the team that had to be opened, just one driver left in the team where he was. I say this because Formula 1 is very difficult, and imagine there are only 20 seats in the world.”

Alpine may be leading the race to sign Franco Colapinto

Colapinto is yet to confirm a drive in Formula 1 for next season despite his impressive drives. The options are also running out as Sauber have signed Gabriel Bortoleto to partner Nico Hulkenberg.

There could be a seat at RB alongside Yuki Tsunoda, although Red Bull would have to buy out Colapinto’s expensive contract.

This stumbling block may hand the advantage to Alpine. They could be prepared to take Colapinto on loan from Williams and Jack Doohan is already under pressure at Alpine before his F1 debut.

It would be a very tough decision to drop Doohan before his first race after all the testing and simulator work he completed.

If Colapinto can’t secure a seat on the F1 grid, he will likely become a reserve driver at Williams in 2025 with Albon and inbound Ferrari exile Carlos Sainz competing.