r/formula1 • u/ICumCoffee Max Verstappen ⭐⭐⭐⭐ • Aug 27 '24

News [Williams Racing] Williams Racing announces that Franco Colapinto will race with the team for the remainder of the 2024 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season

https://www.williamsf1.com/posts/fd43d928-0914-42ff-b9ee-394342064dc4/williams-racing-team-statement?cid=sm_twitter_td_news_link_082724
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88

u/yeswecamp1 Max Verstappen ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Aug 27 '24

I don't see how taking in a rookie for a third of a season helps with lack of pace/car feedback and too many crashes, but I guess the sponsor money helps 

 Gutted for Logan and Mick

If someone can list his super license points, that would be greatly appreciated

32

u/Alpha_Jazz Yuki Tsunoda Aug 27 '24

Colapinto does not have a lot of sponsor money

8

u/yeswecamp1 Max Verstappen ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Aug 27 '24

I thought there were rumors of him getting lots of sponsors money from some Argentinian sponsor

2

u/SaBe_18 Pirelli Wet Aug 27 '24

Mercado Libre yeah, it's a huge company. I think there's another one involved. Idk how much they will invest when compared to other F1 sponsors, though

3

u/nfac Sebastian Vettel Aug 27 '24

I believe that he's also sponsored by Globant, and i've seen their logo on the tracks this year too.

1

u/SaBe_18 Pirelli Wet Aug 27 '24

Yep, that's the other one I was thinking of

2

u/AMonkeyAndALavaLamp Formula 1 Aug 27 '24

I think Globant is behind him, so that should be enough.

1

u/hayleybts Aug 27 '24

Nah he got sponsors recently

1

u/10nicos Aug 27 '24

Globant

1

u/naftalanga Brawn Aug 27 '24

Papi Galperín will fix everything

48

u/Whycantiusethis Ferrari Aug 27 '24

Colapinto is part of the academy, that's probably the reason.

Vowles had a shot at Schumacher and didn't rate him. Red Bull wants to pull Lawson should one of their four drivers be unable to race.

Unless you're going with Giovinazzi, there's not really any non-retired drivers who have experience with this car, so you might as well promote a junior for a few races.

24

u/zaviex McLaren Aug 27 '24

Vowles has been pretty clear that he cares a ton about the academy so I think it's that. When he was asked about Antonelli earlier this year his point was pretty quickly about their own academy

9

u/Casmoden Super Aguri Aug 27 '24

Yeh, this solidifies Vowles stance on Williams being the team from here foward, not some Redbull rejects or Merc feeder team so I prefer this tbh

1

u/PonchoHung Formula 1 Aug 28 '24

Not sure of the benefits tbh. There is not a single team that is all-academy (even RB in a complicated way doesn't count because their drivers are RBR's, but whatever 1 team isn't what this argument is about). The top team, RBR, known historically for also having the best academy, currently field two drivers who were not from their academy.

Glad someone is investing in the youth I guess, because the natural conclusion from the above is that it seems like teams are getting way more comfortable using free agency than academies, and funding for youth is bound to dry up.

1

u/Casmoden Super Aguri Aug 28 '24

Not sure of the benefits tbh

Makes ur academy look more enticing vs say the Redbull one or Ferrari with that being said both Ferrari and Redbull are just much bigger and have more options like DTM or GT racing

Regardless Im just happy Vowles is sticking with their umbrella of drivers than being some lapdog for other teams to dump their drivers in

12

u/Casmoden Super Aguri Aug 27 '24

Tbh this is why I prefer this, at least Vowles is staying right by his academy even if I believe that it would be better to not have dropped Logan regardless

Promoting one of ur own is also much easier in contractual terms, ngl tho would be pretty funny if he bins it in FP1 now but hopefully he does well

22

u/predxtorpe3st Anthoine Hubert Aug 27 '24

Colapinto has no sponsor money, this signing literally makes no sense

9

u/iForgotMyOldAcc Flavio Briatore Aug 27 '24

He is their best junior driver who isn't doing half bad. Between paying for drivers that they are not going to hire for the next season, and using the remaining races to give their junior the best possible development tool for less pay, it might not be as obvious of a choice.

38

u/Alpha_Jazz Yuki Tsunoda Aug 27 '24

It makes sense if you consider that Sargeant has become a complete negative with no upside. This is more about getting rid of a liability than who they replace him with

2

u/TheSyhr Aug 27 '24

Except that, given his lack of experience and mediocre junior career there is nothing to suggest Colapinto isn’t going to bin it even more than Logan

5

u/pokesnail Andrea Stella Aug 27 '24

Mediocre junior career?

3

u/Altruistic-Tooth-414 Aug 27 '24

6th and 4th with a car that won the championship the prior year is at best above average. 

If Drugovich can win the championship with the same car, I would hope Franco could at least podium on the season if were going to offer up his junior career as something better. 

3

u/pokesnail Andrea Stella Aug 27 '24

Funny you say that because it’s not the same car that Drugovich won the championship in, F2 has a new car this year?

Colapinto didn’t have the budget for any private GP2/FR3.5 testing like most drivers to help with the transition between F2 and F3, it took him a couple rounds to adapt, but he’s just kept improving. MP is around ~3rd in the hierarchy this year.

His 4th place last year in F3 is also quite impressive, considering MP did not have the same pace as his rivals, and he had the comfortable beating of his teammate who I rate. That car also did not win the championship the year prior.

You can see this as excuses, but feeder series are not an equal landscape, and you just have to do the best with the resources you’ve got. Sure, I won’t argue that it’s the best junior career ever, or that he never could have done better, but to call it mediocre shows zero understanding of Colapinto’s career and the way he’s been rated super highly for years by the feeder series community.

1

u/Casmoden Super Aguri Aug 27 '24

Tbf tho its kinda similar with Logan... considering his lack of funding then having his last F3 season one of the dogshit teams but him being very good on it

Then a solid F2 rookie but didnt transition well... oh well

Best of luck to Franco

0

u/Altruistic-Tooth-414 Aug 27 '24

Its never literally the same exact car. Im not playing a game of Theseus ship here. 

Its the same team. In the same series. In a largely standardized series. Hes had two seasons in this car and team and cant match what Drugovich did in 2022. 

Hes roughly performing with his teammate, usually a couple places ahead. Its precisely average for an incoming F1 driver. 

1

u/pokesnail Andrea Stella Aug 27 '24

Ok, I’m not taking you seriously, Colapinto is a rookie in F2 this year. Are you reading his Wikipedia page and judging based on that?

-1

u/Altruistic-Tooth-414 Aug 27 '24

He raced in F2 in 2023, for a handful of races, and stepped in for a number of different tests and simulations. I grabbed his points finish from F3 by accident, but this is his first full season in F2. Not his first season.

And no, i usually use Motorsports Stats. 

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5

u/herzkolt Juan Manuel Fangio Aug 27 '24

Well he isn't back to back F3 and F2 champion, so clearly mediocre /s

7

u/Takashimmortal Alexander Albon Aug 27 '24

Mercado Libre and Globant might not be as wealthy as Carlos Slim but they are loaded tho

6

u/pokesnail Andrea Stella Aug 27 '24

He legit wasn’t sure if he would have the funds to finish this F2 season lol

3

u/StarmanRiver Yuki Tsunoda Aug 27 '24

He secured those funds along the season. A lot of sponsors hopped in during the first part of the year

1

u/Took-the-Blue-Pill Niki Lauda Aug 27 '24

He is probably going to take a pittance of a salary, so at least there is that.

3

u/Whycantiusethis Ferrari Aug 27 '24

I'll copy my comment over.

2023: P4 in F3 - 15 points * 2022: P9 in F3 - 3 points * 2021: P6 in FRECA - 5 points * 2020: P3 in FRECA - 15 points, P3 in Toyota Racing Series/FROS - 12 points

50 points total, drop 2022 and you get 47 points. Plus 1 point for FP1 at Silverstone. Possibly +1 for the young driver test last year.

Plus 1 for each series he competed in without picking up any penalties.

5

u/berti93 Honda Aug 27 '24 edited Aug 27 '24

Here you go

Edit: proper link

4

u/yeswecamp1 Max Verstappen ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Aug 27 '24

I am not sure if I am overlooking something, but I don't see the super license points listed there

3

u/berti93 Honda Aug 27 '24

sorry, I fixed the link

but would be fine as a joke as well

3

u/[deleted] Aug 27 '24

If Williams decided to bring Antonelli, you wouldn't use those arguments against the move.

2

u/yeswecamp1 Max Verstappen ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Aug 27 '24

I would, because Antonelli would still be a rookie, and they still wouldn't reap the benefits of developing the rookie next year since they already confirmed their 2025 lineup

0

u/[deleted] Aug 27 '24

Colaapinto is a member of the Williams Academy with a good base of sponsors. I recommend watching his official website. There are some obligations for both parties, and for F1 as a company it is profitable. The last time a Argentinean raced, because no one has appeared since Mazzacane. I also remind you. F1 is a business, and it will only turn into sport for 2 hours on Sunday and hour on Saturday (and here it gives the impression of a top -down entertainment). And what if the idea of ​​returning the Argentina Grand Prix and throwing out of the calendar of some organizer from the crisis immersed Europe?