The Argentinian who stepped up to the plate for Williams half-way through the 2024 season
Brief overview of Franco Colapinto’s career in motorsport
Franco Colapinto’s Formula 1 career was abruptly started after Williams replaced Logan Sargeant for the remainder of the 2024 F1 season. Prior to this, Colapinto was racing in Formula 2 where he was holding 6th place in the championship standings. Colapinto raced for MP Motorsport in F2 and had a Sprint race win in Imola in his debut season.
At 21 years old, the Argentinian driver has already made quite the impression on the motorsport world. Colapinto is the 2019 Spanish Formula 4 champion and is a race winner in the European Le Mans Series. He joined the Williams Driver Academy back in 2023 and is proud to be the first Argentine to compete in Formula 1 since Gastón Mazzacane who raced back in 2001. Colapinto will replace Logan Sargeant for the remaining nine races in the 2024 season, after which Carlos Sainz Jr will take his seat at the start of the 2025 season.
Franco Colapinto's age, family and early life
Born on May 27th, 2003, Franc Colapinto is currently 21 years old, which makes him one of the youngest drivers on the Formula 1 grid. Like many other drivers, Colapinto started his motorsport career in karting where he started racing at nine years old. In 2016, he won the Argentine Championship (Pre-Junior class) and the Buenos Aires Regional Championship (Pre-Junior class). Colapinto also finished runner-up in the OKJ category of the South Garda Winter Cup.
Colapinto grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina and lived there until he was 14 years old. The young Argentinian then moved to Italy alone to pursue karting more seriously. In 2017, his season unfortunately was brought to an early end after he suffered a rib injury. In October of 2018, he redeemed himself by claiming the Gold Medal in the karting event at the Summer Youth Olympics.
There is little information on Colapinto’s family right now and some information must remain private.
Start of Franco Colapinto's F1 journey
Franco Colapinto was called up to Formula 1 by the Williams racing team to replace Logan Sargeant for the remaining nine races of the 2024 season. Colapinto’s first race with the team will be the Italian Grand Prix. Colapinto made his first appearance in Formula racing back in 2018 where he participated in the last race of the F4 Spanish Championship where he drove for Drivex School.
In 2019, Colapinto signed with FA Racing by Drivex to race for a full season in the F4 Spanish Championship. He ended up claiming the championship title after winning all three races in the season finale. In his debut year, he secured eleven victories, 13 podiums and 14 pole positions.
During his debut season racing in the F4 Spanish championship, Colapinto also drove for Drivex as a guest driver for the Euroformula open at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. In January of 2020, Colapinto also joined Kiwi Motorsport for their Toyota Racing Championship. He secured a race win in Hampton Downs and claimed 7 podiums which secured his third place in the championship overall as well as securing him the rookie championship winner. In October 2020, Colapinto joined the Formula Renault Eurocup championship full-time with the Dutch team, MP Motorsport.
In 2022, Colapinto signed with Van Amersfoort Racing and partnered Rafael Villagómez and Reece Ushijima. The Argentinian had a strong start to his F3 career after he secured a pole position in his debut race in Sakhir. He went on to win the Sprint Race in Imola, scoring his and VAR’s first ever victory. Colapinto finished ninth that year in the drivers’ standings after claiming three podium finishes in Spielberg, Budapest, Zandvoort and Monza.
In 2023, Colapinto rejoined MP Motorsport for his final Formula 3 season. Colapinto had a strong season to finish fourth in the drivers’ standings where he had claimed two wins in the Silverstone and Monza Sprint races and three podium finishes in Sakhir, Catalunya and Budapest.
Colapinto was later announced as Jeha Daruvala’s replacement for the final Formula 2 race of the 2023 season. Colapinto partnered Dennis Hauger and MP Motorsport for his debut season in Formula 2. He claimed a Sprint Race victory and set the fastest lap. His F2 season ended abruptly when Franco Colapinto was called up to Formula 1 to replace Logan Sargeant for the remaining nine races of the 2024 F1 season.
Notable moments and races in Franco Colapinto's career
At his young age, Franco Colapinto has already made impressive moves in the motorsport world. In his karting days, Colapinto secured four championship titles, cementing him as an incredible young talent. He then went on to win the Gold Medal in the karting event at the Youth Summer Olympics in partnership with María García Puig.
In 2020, Colapinto secured a race win in Hampton Downs alongside Kiwi Motorsport. He also claimed seven podiums that year which helped him finish third in the championship standings overall but first in the rookie championship.
In 2021, Colapinto raced in the European and Asian Le Mans Series driving an Aurus 01 for G-Drive Racing. In Asia, the Argentinian finished the season with three podiums in four races which cemented him in third overall. In Europe, he raced alongside Nyck de Vries and Roman Rusinov to finish fourth overall.
In 2023, Colapinto finished in fourth in the Formula 3 drivers championship after claiming the wins in the Silverstone and Monza sprint races and finishing on the podium three times in Sakhir, Catalunya and Budapest.
Colapinto raced in Formula 2 alongside Dennis Hauger where he claimed the Sprint race victory at the 2024 Imola race weekend. His F2 career was cut short after Williams racing called up the young driver to replace Logan Sargeant for the remaining nine races of the 2024 season.
Colapinto’s first race with the team was the Italian Grand Prix where he finished in P12 on his debut.
Franco Colapinto height: How tall is Franco Colapinto?
Franco Colapinto stands at a height of roughly 5’7’’ (1.75m). This is definitely the average height of most of the drivers on the Formula 1 grid.
Although we don’t know how much Colapinto weighs, we know that his training is rigorous as he must stay in impeccable shape for the strenuous races he competes in.
Franco Colapinto's net worth
We do not know the specifics of Franco Colapinto’s suspected net worth but it is rumored to be quite substantial. The young driver has won numerous races and is endorsed by different prominent sponsorships which has helped him achieve his successes in racing.
Franco Colapinto's helmet design and its significance
Franco Colapinto’s helmet design is reminiscent of his childhood where he grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The design features the Bandera Argentina de Ceremonia on either side of the helmet and he continues to be proud of his heritage and homeland.
Franco Colapinto’s relationship status: Who is Franco Colapinto’s girlfriend?
There are many rumors about who Franco Colapinto is dating, but there isn’t any confirmed news at this moment. It was suspected that Franco used to date Estelle Ogilvy, Ollie Bearman’s rumored girlfriend.
It is unclear if the two were actually ever in a relationship and Colapinto has not confirmed whether he is seeing anyone as of now.
It is important to keep in mind that personal relationships change quickly and private information is sometimes not shared with the public.
Future prospects for Franco Colapinto in Formula 1
With his immense talent and impressive motorsport career, it is clear that Franco Colapinto’s journey in Formula 1 is just beginning. After replacing Logan Sargeant for the remaining nine races in the 2024 Formula 1 season, it is confirmed that Carlos Sainz Jr will be taking that seat at the start of the 2025 season, leaving Colapinto without a drive.
Despite this, Colapinto’s grit and determination are sure to help him in securing a full time seat when the time comes. Colapinto is projected to produce solid race results for the remainder of the 2024 F1 season, and in doing so, it will cement him as a viable option when more F1 seats open up.