What senior Red Bull figures now think about Franco Colapinto move after his Sao Paulo Grand Prix crash

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Red Bull Racing have been closely assessing Williams Racing driver Franco Colapinto since his impressive debut at the Italian Grand Prix.

Franco Colapinto is now six races into his Formula 1 career after his unexpected call-up by Williams to replace the outgoing Logan Sargeant.

The Argentinian driver has not only held his own against the impressive Alex Albon but also inspired an entire country’s love of F1 once again.

Argentina hadn’t had a driver on the grid since Gaston Mazzacane in 2001, but Colapinto has given the South American nation hope that the days of Juan Manuel Fangio and Carlos Reutemann can return once again.

Colapinto already has five points to his name and a handful of Q3 appearances, including at the tricky Baku street circuit.

This has caught Red Bull’s attention as they try to work out how their driver line-ups are going to look next season.

Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda are locked in at Red Bull and RB respectively, and while Sergio Perez is tied down to a contract until the end of the 2025 campaign, his form has done nothing to convince the team’s leaders that he’s the right man for the job going forward.

Liam Lawson will also be on the grid next year, but whether he ends up driving at Red Bull or sticking with RB is still yet to be seen.

Journalist Ben Anderson was speaking on The Race’s YouTube channel about the Anglo-Austrian team’s predicament.

He has shared how senior Red Bull staff see Colapinto after a difficult weekend in Sao Paulo where he ended up in the barriers twice in one day.

Senior Red Bull staff’s assessment of Williams star Franco Colapinto amid 2025 rumours

Talking about the links between Colapinto and Red Bull, Anderson said: “While it’s unsure how fast Colapinto is, it looks from afar that he’s pretty quick and aggressive.

“Senior Red Bull figures have told us that while an RB seat alongside Tsunoda would be most logical, there are still three races left to evaluate Liam Lawson and see how Colapinto finishes his season at Williams.

“So, if Red Bull pulls the pins on chasing Colapinto properly, it would be with both its senior team and RB in mind.

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

“In Brazil, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner met with his Williams counterpart James Vowles.

“He was pictured leaving hospitality which Vowles laughed off as Horner wanting to try some coffee from a new team partner.

“Vowles has been deliberately cagey about the exact nature of his team’s recent talks with Red Bull.”

Anderson also makes it clear that Red Bull have no interest in Sainz as Horner has since confirmed.

Liam Lawson giving Red Bull an internal option to replace Sergio Perez

Red Bull signing Colapinto would make a lot of sense and give them another young driver option for the foreseeable future.

Tsunoda is expected to leave RB at the end of 2025, opening up a spot in the junior team for either Isack Hadjar or possibly Arvid Lindblad the following season.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

It therefore seems like a shootout between Colapinto and Lawson for Perez’s seat if it’s decided that the 34-year-old’s time in F1 is over.

There’s a lot of clamour for Colapinto to remain on the grid in 2025, and if Red Bull find a place for both him and Lawson, then six rookies will be entering their first full F1 season next year.