Where the ‘smart money’ says Wiliams driver Franco Colapinto will be driving next season

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Williams Racing driver Franco Colapinto will be desperate to get back behind the wheel of his Formula 1 car for the final three races of the 2024 season.

From preparing for his maiden Formula 2 campaign to battling Lewis Hamilton in his Williams, it’s been an incredible year for Franco Colapinto.

Few would have expected a 21-year-old with very limited experience in an F1 car to get as close to teammate Alex Albon as he has, but he’s enjoyed proving a lot of people wrong during his first six Grand Prix.

He scored an important four points in Baku before squeezing into the top ten in Austin.

Esteban Ocon even apologised to Colapinto for stealing the fastest lap from him to stop Williams from increasing their lead over Alpine in the Constructors’ Championship.

That effort from the Frenchman now seems moot after he and Pierre Gasly secured an unbelievable double podium in Brazil, but nevertheless shows how competitive the bottom half of the standings are.

Colapinto is now trying to secure a future in Formula 1 beyond this season and journalist Andrew van Leeuwen was speaking on the Full Credit To The Noise Podcast talked about the latest information he heard about his efforts to stay on the grid.

The ‘smart money’ is on Franco Colapinto heading to Red Bull next season

Colapinto has been linked with a move to Red Bull for some time now, but they would only sign him permanently from Williams.

Alpine are also keen on Colapinto and there have been suggestions that he could even replace Jack Doohan before he makes his F1 debut.

Addressing this, Van Leeuwen said: “I think that it’s not impossible that the team would be sitting there and going, ‘Hey, is there a different to look at how we’re going about what we’re doing?’

“I still think the smart money is on Colapinto ending up in the Red Bull system and Jack keeping his Alpine seat, the seat he’s been promised.

“The gut feeling is how on earth would they even do this but we’ve seen crazy things happen before, but, I think we’ll see Jack in a car.

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

“Colapinto’s done his bit to deserve a shot as well. I really hope that doesn’t come at the expense of Jack and I think there are enough avenues for it not to have to come to that.

“But he’s [Colapinto] certainly done his bit and the fact that he brings some backing, which is not like a Sergio Perez brings backing, a lot of drivers have backing attached to them, it’s a handy thing for a race team, particularly when the bloke’s pretty fast as well.

“That’s what makes him a threat to pretty much anyone’s seat in the category.”

Williams could cash in on Franco Colapinto after promotion gamble pays off

Bringing Colapinto up to Formula 1 was a risk for team principal James Vowles, even if Logan Sargeant was becoming more and more expensive to retain.

The likes of Liam Lawson and Mick Schumacher were on the market and had previous F1 experience.

However, Williams have managed to maximise Colapinto’s start to life in Formula 1, both on the track and off it.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes relationship

Colapinto now brings significant sponsorship with him to the team which may come in handy given how much crash damage Williams have had to pay for this year.

The Argentinian could also fetch a significant fee if a team decide to sign him on a permanent contract next season.