Why Red Bull simply have to sign Franco Colapinto after dazzling US Grand Prix performance

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With every race that goes by, Franco Colapinto continues to prove why he deserves a spot on the Formula 1 grid for the foreseeable future.

The Argentine has made teammate Alex Albon, previously thought of as a contender for a Red Bull seat, look pretty amateur at times.

Now, after he scored yet more points for a struggling Williams outfit, he has proven that he is worthy of a spot on the grid for 2025.

The only problem happens to be that there is no space for him to continue with Williams, leaving him to fight for the remaining seat at Sauber – or, go all out and make a call to Red Bull.

Would Franco Colapinto be a good fit alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull?

Now sitting 18th in the drivers’ championship, Colapinto has scored four more points than Logan Sargeant did in nearly two years of racing, within just a handful of races.

Of course, now the paddock knows about the 21-year-old’s potential, he is held to a higher degree than that.

He has beaten Albon in two consecutive races and continues to improve with every week – this is a driver with 100 grands prix under his belt up against a man with four.

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Red Bull have to replace the underperforming Sergio Perez, who has been unable to back Max Verstappen up for the majority of the last two seasons.

So why not take a punt on youth, which has proven on many occasions this season, that it is the correct way to go forward in Formula 1.

Why a one-year deal with Colapinto for 2025 makes sense

It’s unlikely that Colapinto will find a way onto the grid for 2025 unless he can make a miracle dash for a seat at Red Bull.

A one-year deal with the Milton Keynes-based outfit would make a lot of sense, allowing them time to assess his performance relative to a current three-time champion before a change in technical regulations for 2026.

Liam Lawson would receive another year in familiar surroundings at Visa Cash App RB, handing Yuki Tsunoda a fairer opportunity to fight with him for a possible promotion in 2026.

READ MORE: US GP stewards ‘rewarded’ Max Verstappen ‘foul’ on Lando Norris

It feels inevitable now that Perez will be forced off the grid, despite having a contract for the future, as a result of the continuation of his poor results.

If Red Bull loses the constructors’ championship this year, a large part of that is down to him, and it’s something that the Austrian team cannot ignore.