Why an F1 team could earn £25m if they sign Franco Colapinto from Williams next season

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Franco Colapinto is becoming one of the most exciting drivers on the Formula 1 grid since taking over from Logan Sargeant at Williams.

The Argentine has scored points in two races so far and enabled Williams to stay in the fight for sixth in the Constructors’ Championship, which is starting to heat up with three races left.

Colapinto has also been a popular driver at recent races, with fans from Argentina flocking to see their home hero at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

There are suggestions that Red Bull might be interested in Colapinto’s services as they contemplate the future of Sergio Perez, and rumours in the F1 paddock over his sponsorship revenue might become a major factor according to journalist Joris Mosterdijk on the RacingNews365 NL podcast.

Franco Colapinto sponsorship worth rumoured to be £41 million

Williams team principal James Vowles noted that since the team signed Colapinto it has boosted a lot of interest in sponsorship deals from Argentina, given the last time they had an F1 driver was Gaston Mazzacane in 2001.

A recent report detailed that Colapinto’s sponsors are said to be bringing in £420,000 per race, which is nearly £3.8 milllion across all the races he will contest.

READ MORE: Nelson Piquet Jr tells Franco Colapinto why he should turn down Red Bull to join rival team next season

According to rumours in the paddock, his deals for an entire season are said to be worth a lot of money can could have influence on a Red Bull deal.

“There are stories going around stating that it would cost €20m to buy out Colapinto. In the paddock there is a story going around in terms of the sponsor value that he is bringing, that he is worth more than €50 million (£41m),” said Mosterdijk.

“So in that sense it would be a profit margin of €30 million (£25m) which you get from a young driver.”

Perez also brings with him a number of sponsorship deals with backing from billionaire Mexcian entrepreneur Carlos Slim, but this could also end in the future for him if Red Bull go with Colapinto.

Williams could use Franco Colapinto sale money to fund crash damage and other bills

Williams is one of the teams that is most strapped for cash on the grid, as evidenced by them having to pull Alex Albon out of the Australian GP earlier this year because they could not afford to build a third chassis in time for the season start.

Albon ended up using Sargeant’s car in the race, although he eventually dropped to 11th place at the chequered flag.

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

Williams was faced with the same scenario in Brazil when qualifying was held on the Sunday just hours before the race, and both drivers crashed in the wet conditions. Albon’s car was significantly damaged and could not be repaired in time for the race, forcing him to widthdraw.

The weekend cost Williams millions in crash damage bills and by selling Colapinto to Red Bull, they could net a massive dividend to pay for it. Alternatively, the lucrative sponsorship contracts also pay for the bill.