Why Red Bull’s interest in ‘perfect’ Franco Colapinto ‘doesn’t make sense’ after Williams talks

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Red Bull Racing face a driver line-up dilemma that has been brewing for more than a year.

After Max Verstappen strolled to a third Drivers’ Championship in 2023 by winning 19 of the available 22 races, everything was looking rosy at Red Bull.

Sergio Perez won a couple of races at the beginning of last season and appeared to be putting Verstappen under pressure in a car that was far superior to the rest of the grid.

However, the longer the season went on, the more the 34-year-old struggled and Verstappen ended up doubling his points tally.

This season started in a similar manner, with Perez on the podium in four out of the first five Grand Prix.

Unfortunately, his form has deteriorated once again and as Red Bull no longer have an advantage over the rest of the grid, his displays have become more and more concerning.

That’s where Williams driver Franco Colapinto comes into the equation, with Red Bull suddenly having an interest in Colapinto’s services.

Journalist Mat Coch was speaking on the Pit Talk Podcast about a potential deal between Red Bull and Colapinto.

In one sense, he believes the move makes ‘perfect sense’, however, there’s something that doesn’t quite add up for him in the proposed deal.

What doesn’t make sense about Red Bull’s interest in Franco Colapinto

Talking about the 21-year-old potentially switching teams, Coch said: “Red Bull makes perfect sense for the reasons you’ve touched on.

“It needs a solution to Sergio Perez and it needs that at the start of this year, not the start of next year really.

“So, that’s why Liam Lawson is in the RB now and at this stage, you’d have to say that he’s the frontrunner for that seat.

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

“However, I know conversations between Horner and James Vowles have taken place.

“They met and it wasn’t to discuss coffee as Vowles suggested it was. So, that’s happening.

“It’s not imminent, it will take time to lock down a deal if they get to one.

“But should they land on a deal, you’d have to think that Colapinto is going to go into Red Bull because you’re not going to spend some serious money and then place a kid who clearly they think enough of to spend that much money at the junior team.

“That doesn’t make sense to me.”

How Red Bull feel about signing Franco Colapinto after his Sao Paulo Grand Prix crash

Colapinto has had a rapid rise to Formula 1 after a strong start to his Formula 2 campaign this year.

Williams needed a driver to replace Logan Sargeant and called upon the strongest asset in their academy when the likes of Liam Lawson and Mick Schumacher were available.

The Argentine has already scored five points this season, but two big crashes in Sao Paulo were the first major blip in his F1 career.

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

Red Bull are still interested in Colapinto despite his crashes in Brazil, but deciding what team he should run in is another matter.

They need to secure his services first which won’t be cheap and then once again play driver roulette before the start of 2025.