Who Is Franco Colapinto? All About Williams Racing Driver Replacing Logan Sargeant for the Rest of 2024 Season

Williams has confirmed that academy driver and F2 racer Franco Colapinto will compete for the balance of the season with the team, replacing Logan Sargeant.

By Blesson Daniel

Published on Aug 28, 2024 | 07:33 PM IST | 128.5K

Franco Colapinto [Credit-Instagram@francolapinto]

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Who is Franco Colapinto?
Franco Colapinto started building a resume after 2020

Williams has confirmed that it has dropped Logan Sargeant for the remainder of the 2024 season, to be replaced by reserve driver Franco Colapinto. But who is Franco Colapinto? And how did he come by his Superlicense points? Here is everything you need to know.

Who is Franco Colapinto?

Franco Alejandro Colapinto was born on May 27, 2003. He will make his Formula One debut this weekend in the Italian Grand Prix, becoming the first Argentine driver to do so in almost two decades.

The 21-year-old joined our Williams Racing Driver Academy in early 2023 and has demonstrated his improvement with strong performances in F3 and F2. Before he goes to the track at the "Temple of Speed," here's more on Colapinto.

Franco's potential was obvious when he started karting at the age of nine, and he quickly rose to prominence, winning the Argentinian Championship in 2016 and again in 2018.

He began his European single-seater career the same year and impressed right away, making it to the last round of the FIA Spanish F4 season, where he won and finished second in an unforgettable weekend.

Fernando Alonso's FA Racing by Drivex squad scouted Franco and signed him for the 2019 season. It was a perfect fit, with 11 victories, 13 podiums, and 10 pole positions to win the Spanish F4 championship in his inaugural season by a massive 98 points over second place. Franco was swiftly rising through the ranks of motorsport.

Also Read: When Did Lewis Hamilton Join F1? All You Need to Know

Franco Colapinto started building a resume after 2020

Franco began his 2020 season on a high note, claiming his second single-seater title after winning the rookie championship in the 2020 Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand over the winter.

Over the summer, he returned to Europe to participate in the Formula Renault Eurocup with MP Motorsport, finishing third in the championship as the highest-ranked rookie with two race victories and nine podiums.

Franco raced in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine in 2021, winning two Grand Slams and finishing on the podium twice more.

He also expanded his motorsport horizons that year, running a dual campaign in LMP2 machinery in the European Le Mans Series, sharing the vehicle with drivers such as Nyck de Vries and winning, pole, and podium finishes in the six-round season.

Franco joined Van Amersfoort Racing in the FIA F3 Championship for the 2022 season. The Argentine made an early impression by gaining pole position in his debut F3 Qualifying, and he went on to win two races and five podiums in his rookie season.

Franco joined the Williams Racing Driver Academy in January 2023 and continued to race in the FIA Formula 3. He had a strong second season, winning two Sprint races at Silverstone and Monza while finishing fourth in the standings.

Franco was promoted to the FIA Formula 2 Championship with MP Motorsport in 2024, after making a cameo appearance in the championship at the 2023 season finale in Abu Dhabi. We kept Franco busy on his UAE trip by putting him in the FW45 for the post-season test, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

He has continued to make his impact, winning his maiden F2 race in the Sprint race at Imola after passing Paul Aron on the penultimate lap at Tamburello. He then finished on the podium in both the Barcelona and Spielberg feature races.

The 21-year-old, who has won races in a variety of junior single-seater divisions, was in his second season in the F2 feeder championship, sitting sixth in the 2024 standings with one race win and two second-place results.

Franco made his Formula One weekend debut earlier this year at the British Grand Prix when he completed 24 laps at Silverstone. He will make his Formula One racing debut this weekend at the Italian Grand Prix. Now, it will be interesting to see whether William Reacing’s strategic move helps them in the future.