Franco Colapinto

Franco Colapinto – biography, career and results

Quick facts

Who is Franco Colapinto?

Franco Colapinto's name broke into international motorsport in the summer of 2024 because he did something that hadn't happened in more than two decades: he lined up on a Formula 1 grid as an Argentine driver. Debuting with Williams, the young driver needed barely two months to prove he wasn't a one-off fill-in but someone planning to stay at the top level of the sport for the long haul.

The story, though, started much earlier than most people realise. Colapinto first climbed into a kart at nine years old, and at fourteen he moved to Europe alone to give himself a shot at the continent's best driver-development programmes. From there he worked through practically every major junior category on the way up: he won a championship in Spain, stood on the podium at Le Mans, and made his mark in Formula 2 before his team finally put him in an F1 car.

What makes his career genuinely interesting is its range: few current F1 drivers have a Le Mans season in their back catalogue, and few can say that after more than four decades, they were the one who put their country back on the scoreboard in Formula 1.

The early years

Colapinto started karting at nine, and it quickly became clear he had talent: regular podiums in Argentina's national championships, followed by a move into Buenos Aires's regional series. After a 2017 season cut short by a rib injury, the comeback arrived in style: in 2018 he won the karting exhibition race at the Buenos Aires Youth Olympics, alongside María García Puig, starting from pole position.

By then, the move that says the most about his determination was already underway: at fourteen he had relocated to Italy on his own to get closer to the heartbeat of European racing. That decision opened the door to a single-seater career.

Junior career

Colapinto made his car-racing debut in 2018 in the closing rounds of the Spanish F4 Championship with Drivex School, closing out the shortened season with a win and 9th place overall. The follow-up was far more convincing: across the full 2019 season he won the title comfortably, with 11 wins, 10 pole positions and 325 points, nearly a hundred points clear of the field.

In 2020 he raced in two series at once. In the Formula Renault Eurocup with MP Motorsport, he finished as the best rookie and 3rd overall with 2 wins and 213.5 points, while in the southern-hemisphere Toyota Racing Series with Kiwi Motorsport he was also 3rd, with one win at Hampton Downs.

2021 was the season in which Colapinto showed the full breadth of his talent. In single-seaters, he raced in the Formula Regional European Championship with MP Motorsport, finishing 6th with 2 wins despite missing two rounds because of sports-car commitments. Those commitments were substantial: racing for G-Drive Racing, he stood on the podium in the Asian Le Mans Series (3rd), won the 4 Hours of Le Castellet in the European Le Mans Series alongside Roman Rusinov and Nyck de Vries (finishing 4th in the season standings), and then, as one of the youngest drivers in the field, lined up for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the #26 Aurus 01-Gibson brought him home 7th in the LMP2 class — despite a spin that saw him tangle with the Richard Mille car in the Porsche Curves.

In 2022 he made his FIA Formula 3 debut with Van Amersfoort Racing, closing his rookie season 9th with 2 wins, including his first F3 win at Imola. In 2023 he moved to MP Motorsport, again picking up two race wins and finishing 4th in the championship with 110 points.

November 2023 brought his first serious taste of Formula 1: as a member of the Williams Racing Driver Academy, he got behind the wheel of a test car at the post-season Abu Dhabi test. In 2024 he then raced a full Formula 2 season with MP Motorsport — taking his maiden F2 win at Imola with a last-lap overtake — and was sitting 6th in the championship when the call from Williams came.

The road to Formula 1

Colapinto joined the Williams Racing Driver Academy in January 2023 while still competing in Formula 3 with MP Motorsport. The team put him to work in the simulator and on development duties, and by the end of the season, at the Abu Dhabi test, he'd already shown what he could do in an F1 car.

The big breakthrough came in the summer of 2024. After Logan Sargeant's form at Williams failed to deliver the results the team wanted, they decided to replace him with their Argentine academy driver following the Dutch Grand Prix. Colapinto was sitting 6th in the Formula 2 standings at the time — this wasn't a random reserve call-up, but a reward for a standout junior season.

Formula 1 career

Colapinto made his debut as a Williams driver at the Italian Grand Prix in September 2024, becoming the first Argentine Formula 1 driver in 23 years — since Gastón Mazzacane's 2001 San Marino outing. Not long after that debut, in only his second race, he scored his first points on the Baku street circuit, finishing 8th, which made him the first Argentine to score an F1 point since Carlos Reutemann's 1982 appearance. He added further points at the United States Grand Prix before closing out the season with Williams.

In 2025 he didn't get a new race seat at Williams and instead signed with Alpine as reserve driver. His role expanded quickly: the team dropped Jack Doohan after six rounds, so from the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix onward Colapinto raced as Pierre Gasly's team-mate, and he stayed in the Alpine seat for the rest of the season.

He continues with Alpine in 2026: early in the season he scored the team's first point of the year at the Chinese Grand Prix, and at the Australian Grand Prix a lightning-fast reflex saw him avoid a serious start-line crash with Liam Lawson — a moment George Russell called the "save of the season." The team has signalled it is committed to him for the long term, while Colapinto works to cement his place in the field for the rest of the season.

Notable results outside Formula 1

Career timeline

• 2012 – starts karting at age nine
• 2017 – moves to Italy alone to pursue racing
• 2018 – F4 debut with Drivex School; karting win at the Buenos Aires Youth Olympics
• 2019 – wins the Spanish F4 Championship title
• 2021 – 24 Hours of Le Mans debut in LMP2 with G-Drive Racing
• 2022 – FIA Formula 3 debut with Van Amersfoort Racing
• 2023 – joins the Williams Racing Driver Academy; F1 test in Abu Dhabi
• 2024 – Formula 1 debut with Williams at the Italian Grand Prix; first points in Baku
• 2025 – reserve driver for Alpine, then promoted to a race seat after six rounds in place of Jack Doohan
• 2026 – continues his race career with Alpine

Facts about Franco Colapinto's career

• He became the first Argentine driver on the Formula 1 grid 23 years after Gastón Mazzacane's last race in 2001.
• He was the first Argentine to score a Formula 1 point since Carlos Reutemann's 1982 appearance — and he did it in only his second race.
• At fourteen he moved to Italy alone to get closer to the continent's driver-development system.
• In 2021 he lined up as one of the youngest drivers at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and still brought the car home 7th in LMP2 despite tangling with a rival mid-race.
• George Russell called the reflex Colapinto showed at the start of the 2026 Australian Grand Prix, avoiding a collision with Liam Lawson, the "save of the season."
• Thanks to Italian ancestry he also holds Italian citizenship, and he speaks Spanish, English and Italian fluently.

Frequently asked questions about Franco Colapinto's career

When did Franco Colapinto start racing?

He first got into a kart at nine, and made his car-racing debut in 2018, in the closing rounds of the Spanish F4 Championship with Drivex School.

What championship did Colapinto win before Formula 1?

He won the 2019 Spanish F4 Championship in dominant fashion, with 11 race wins and 325 points.

How did Colapinto make it to Formula 1?

On the strength of his junior single-seater results, he joined the Williams Racing Driver Academy in January 2023. In the summer of 2024, with him sitting 6th in Formula 2, Williams put him in the car for the Italian Grand Prix in place of Logan Sargeant.

Did Colapinto race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans?

Yes — in 2021, in the LMP2 class for G-Drive Racing, where he finished 7th in class.

What series did Colapinto race in outside Formula 1?

He competed in Spanish F4, the Formula Renault Eurocup, the Toyota Racing Series, the Formula Regional European Championship, the Asian and European Le Mans Series, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and FIA Formula 3 and Formula 2.

Which teams has Colapinto raced for in Formula 1?

He made his debut with Williams Racing in 2024, then became Alpine's reserve driver from early 2025, was promoted to a race seat after six rounds, and remains with the team in 2026.

Has Colapinto raced in any sister series or the Indy 500?

No — before Formula 1, his career was limited entirely to European and Oceanian junior single-seater series, plus Le Mans and the Le Mans series.

Sources

• Wikipedia – Franco Colapinto
• Williams Racing – In Profile: Who is Franco Colapinto?
• Formula1.com – Colapinto declares points finish 'a dream come true' as Williams celebrate double success in Baku
• Formula1.com – Colapinto earns new deal as Alpine complete 2026 driver line-up
• RacingNews365 – Meet Franco Colapinto, F1's first Argentine driver in 23 years
• RaceFans – O'Sullivan to make F1 practice debut in Abu Dhabi, Colapinto gets test chance
• FIA Formula 3 – O'Sullivan and Colapinto set for F1 outings with Williams in Abu Dhabi
• RACER – WRT No. 31 takes LMP2 Le Mans win in shocking finish
• 24h-lemans.com – ELMS: G-Drive Racing wins the 2021 4 Hours of Le Castellet
• Formula Scout – Franco Colapinto steps up to Formula Renault Eurocup with MP Motorsport
• F1oversteer – George Russell lauds Franco Colapinto for 'save of the season'
• Wikipedia – Karting at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics
• Last Word on Sports – Alpine expected to retain Franco Colapinto for 2027