Who is Franco Colapinto? Williams’ new driver for the remainder of the F1 season

Formula One's Williams Racing has replaced driver Logan Sargeant with exciting Argentinian driver Franco Colapinto from the Williams Racing Driver Academy.

Sargeant was already going to be replaced at the end of the season by Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, but a culmination of crashes and scoring one point in 36 races was enough to see Williams find a new replacement.

According to Sky Sports, Colapinto said: "It is an honour to be making my Formula 1 debut with Williams - this is what dreams are made of." He added: "The team has such amazing history and a mission to get back to the front, which I can't wait to be part of."

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The Argentinian driver will be on the grid for the final nine races of the season, so let's take a look at his career in motorsport to date!

The 21-year-old has been with the Williams Drivers Academy since 2023, his second Formula Three campaign. He is the fourth Argentine to compete in F1 after Juan Manuel Fangio, Carlos Reutemann, and Gaston Mazzacane.

Colapinto started his karting career at age ten in Argentina and raced there until 2017 when he moved to Europe. He finished his career in karting with victory in the 2018 Youth Summer Olympics.

The same year he finished karting, Colapinto entered the Spanish F4 Championship, finishing ninth in his first campaign before claiming the title in 2019.

After finishing third overall in both the Formula Renault Eurocup and the Toyota Racing Series, the Argentine made the switch to sportscars in 2021 because of budget constraints and raced in the Asian and European Le Mans Series, as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

According to the Autosport website, the past three years have helped Colapinto accelerate his development towards F1, joining the F3 grid with Van Amersfoort Racing in 2022.

In his first two seasons in Formula Three, Colapinto scored four race victories and improved from a ninth-place finish in his first year to a fourth-place finish in his second. He subsequently signed with the Williams Academy in 2023.

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Colapinto made a slow start to the F2 2024 season, but after winning the sprint race in Imola, he became a regular front-runner. His championship hopes were all but ended after a red flag in qualifying in Hungary and an engine failure at Spa, putting him sixth in the standings.

The exciting prospect won't be completely new to the Williams FW46, having spent time in the car in Free Practice One at the British Grand Prix, allowing him to get used to how it works.

James Vowles, Williams team principal, said: "To replace a driver mid-season is not a decision we have taken lightly, but we believe this gives Williams the best chance to compete for points over the remainder of the season."

"We also believe in investing in our young drivers in the Williams Racing Driver Academy, and Franco is getting a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate what he is capable of across the final nine rounds of the season."

Across his entire F2/3 career, Colapinto has suffered only four race-ending crashes, with only one happening in Formula Two.

The Formula One website reports that Williams sits second from bottom in the Constructors' Championship on four points. Can Colapinto change their fortune around and send them up the table?

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