Franco Colapinto is seeking a full-time drive in 2025 (Image: Getty)
’s talent has been questioned by former G-Drive team-mate Roman Rusinov, despite reports suggesting that the Argentine racer will likely replace just six races into the 2025 campaign.
Colapinto made his debut with 10 rounds remaining of the 2024 F1 season, replacing after he suffered one crash too many for Williams boss James Vowles’ liking. The 21-year-old made an instant impact, scoring points twice in his first four starts, although a series of costly crashes damaged his stock somewhat.
Despite his impressive raw speed, Colapinto’s crashes raised concerns, and former G-Drive team-mate Rusinov does not believe that the Pilar-born driver’s stint was a success. The pair competed together in the LMP2 class of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2021.
“For me personally, Franco Colapinto did not make any splash in Formula One,” Rusinov told Championat. “He had two options: drive carefully, but then he might not be remembered, or push as hard as possible, which led to constant crashes.
“At Williams, he did exactly the same thing as he did at G-Drive. Franco is a good driver in terms of lap time, but in terms of results, he has never lived up to expectations. He makes a lot of mistakes.
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Colapinto could replace Jack Doohan mid-season in 2025 (Image: Getty)
“Unfortunately, he does not seem to learn from them. He just tries again and again to prove that he is the fastest – and makes mistakes. In the six races that Franco drove for us, he made five mistakes. In the only race where Colapinto did not make any mistakes, we won.
“So he is a good and quite fast driver, but he is still a child. Speed alone is not enough. I really like Franco. He is a great guy, but in general, all this hype around him is not justified by the final result.”
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Despite Rusinov’s verdict, Colapinto will fancy his chances of carving out a successful career in F1. Alpine signed the Argentine racer in January as a test and reserve driver on a long-term contract, setting him up to replace Doohan should Flavio Briatore’s patience run out.
The presence of Colapinto and fellow reserve drivers Paul Aron and Ryo Hirakawa will heap pressure on Doohan, who will be feeling the heat heading into his home race and the season opener. The Australian racer endured a challenging debut in Abu Dhabi and must take the fight to during his first handful of starts in 2025.