What Franco Colapinto now has to do to be ‘announced’ as Sauber’s second driver for 2025

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Every time Franco Colapinto drives for Williams, he impresses more and more people in the paddock and gains a growing number of fans at each circuit he visits.

Argentina has a long history of motor racing stars but has been starved of a driver to support in Formula 1 for more than 20 years until Franco Colapinto came along.

Williams team principal James Vowles has started the slow process of turning the team around, but promoting Colapinto when other more experienced drivers were available highlights his strong decision-making skills.

The 21-year-old has now scored five points in his first four races, a tally that matches what Nicholas Latifi and Logan Sargeant managed combined in three-and-a-half seasons.

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

However, there is a frustrating caveat that has underpinned Colapinto’s short time in F1.

When he was promoted into Sargeant’s seat following the Dutch Grand Prix, he knew it was only a temporary solution.

Carlos Sainz was the diamond in this year’s driver market after losing his seat at Ferrari and Williams worked hard for months to secure Sainz’s services.

It means that Colapinto is now on the lookout for another drive next year and one obvious option for him is the second seat at Sauber.

Journalist Ian Parkes was speaking on the RacingNews365 Podcast and what Colapinto now needs to do to earn that place alongside Nico Hulkenberg next year.

How Franco Colapinto can earn a 2025 Sauber seat

Speaking about Colapinto’s prospects, Parkes said: “We know James Vowles has been on the blower to Mattia Binotto.

“Mattia Binotto must be looking at this and has been given considerable food for thought.

“Mattia has turned around and said that he’s probably not going to make a decision now on his second driver at the Stake team for next season, of course becoming Audi in 2026, until mid-November.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber from team principal to Audi future

“So you would assume therefore that he was waiting and biding his time until after this triple header and he would likely have looked at Franco Colapinto’s performance again yesterday and thought you know what, this kid’s got something.

“And again if Franco can reproduce that kind of form in Mexico and in Brazil which I know is a race he’s very much looking forward to because it’s about as close as he can get to his Argentinian home of course and he has mentioned that as well.

“But that is a race that he really wants to get to because he knows he’s going to have a lot of fans there if he can reproduce that form at these two races then we could very well be hearing Franco Colapinto being announced as Nico Hulkenberg’s teammate at Stake for next season and going forward into Audi in 2026.”

Franco Colapinto is in the frame for both remaining 2025 F1 vacancies

Sauber are taking their time deciding who will join Hulkenberg next season and Valtteri Bottas seems to be less and less likely to retain his seat at this stage.

McLaren junior Gabriel Bortoleto and Mick Schumacher are also in the frame at Sauber, but the longer Binotto delay a decision, the more opportunities Colapinto has to prove he’s worth whatever fee Sauber would need to pay Williams to secure his services.

The other available seat is at RB with Liam Lawson only signed up until the end of the year.

While he’s virtually guaranteed that seat, especially after his impressive second debut at the United States Grand Prix, Red Bull might have bigger plans for him.

Colapinto has been suggested as a potential RB signing should Lawson be promoted into Sergio Perez’s seat.

The Mexican has been struggling for some time now, and Red Bull may want a more experienced driver alongside Yuki Tsunoda next year instead of one of their junior drivers despite Isack Hadjar’s brilliant F2 campaign.