With him, Franco Colapinto carries the hopes of an entire country

The Argentines must say to themselves “Finally! » on this evening of August 27, 2024. For the first time since 2001 and Gaston Mazzacane's last race in Formula 1, an Argentinian will be at the start of a Grand Prix: Franco Colapinto will participate in the Italian Grand Prix and the eight other rounds remaining on the 2024 calendar, to replace Logan Sargeant at Williams.

In 2010, Jose Maria Lopez believed in it, it had even been made official for the season, but the USF1 project turned sour, the team of Peter Winsor and Ken Anderson finally renouncing its registration before being placed in liquidation. Since then, nothing.

However, Franco Colapinto has appeared in recent years as the new standard-bearer of the South American nation. At the age of 21, the Argentinian began his journey in car successfully by winning F4 Spain in 2019 for his first full season in this universe. Since then, the native of Pilar in the suburbs of Buenos Aires has continued to climb the ranks. Third in the Formula Renault the following year, he launched intoEndurance in parallel in 2021 with the highlight of participation in 24 Hours of Le Mans with G-Drive Racing in LMP2.

But in 2022, he decides to concentrate fully on single-seater racing with his sights set on becoming the first representative of his country in the premier category in the long term. Thus, he made his mark in F3, first with VAR before moving to MP Motorsport in 2023. A year that brings him luck because it allows him to join the Williams Academy

Best Williams representative in F2

By belonging to an academy of an F1 team, Franco Colapinto could then dream a little more and thus say to himself that he could one day be the first Argentine since Gastón Mazzacane to participate in a Formula 1 Grand Prix from San Marino in 2001! It will be done at Monza, with Williams.

Slowly but surely, he got a little closer every day to this dream, which was even very difficult to achieve given the current panorama of the “pinnacle of motorsport”. But the Argentinian wanted to believe it and put all the chances on his side. Behind him, his entourage has worked very well in recent years, succeeding in attracting solid sponsors who provide him with a certain stability and even greater visibility, such as his association with the Argentinian artist Bizarrap, and his millions of subscribers on different social networks.

Promoted to F2 this year, still under the colors of MP Motorsport, he completed a very good first part of the campaign. Franco Colapinto is at 6^e row with two 2^e places in the Main Race and a victory in the Sprint Race for a total of 96 points. This allows him to beat Zak O'Sullivan (ART Grand Prix), the second driver from the Williams academy in Formula 2, with a 37-length lead.

Tried at Silverstone, started at Monza

It is undoubtedly this very good start to the year which pushed the Grove team to him offer the possibility of competing in Free Practice 1 of the British Grand Prix at the beginning of July, as part of the two compulsory EL1 sessions reserved for rookies. A second experience for him aboard an F1, but the first official, after having participated in the young driver tests in Abu Dhabi, aboard the FW45 last November. In England, it was as part of a race weekend where he replaced Logan sargeant, like a symbol.

« This is a historic moment, he confided. It will be very special. For any racing driver, having your first Free Practice session is something you look forward to. I am extremely happy and proud to have this opportunity and this chance from Williams. They were so supportive last year. It's a huge opportunity. I'm eager to. Only one hour of driving is short, but Silverstone is the most beautiful circuit to drive an F1 car with all these high-speed corners. I will try to do a good job »

The first stone of a tenure finally arrived earlier than expected by Williams, for the nine remaining Grands Prix in 2024. A golden opportunity for Franco Colapinto, and already a great victory for a country which no longer had a driver on a grid for 23 years!

ALSO READ > Logan Sargeant fired by Williams and replaced by Franco Colapinto for the rest of the season!