Franco Colapinto’s manager has confirmed that the young Argentine, who made an impressive F1 debut with Williams in the second half of last year, was indeed on Red Bull’s radar for a potential seat with one of its teams for 2025.
However, despite the genuine expressed by Red Bull, a deal to bring the talented rookie into its fold failed to materialize, primarily due to the bulls existing pool of junior drivers.
Colapinto was drafted in by Williams at last September’s Italian Grand Prix to replace the struggling Logan Sargeant.
The 21-year-old’s stellar debut in which he scored a pair of top ten finishes in his first four races with the Grove-based outfit immediately captured the attention of Red Bull, but also Alpine, according to Colapinto’s manager, Maria Catarineu.
Clearly, Christian [Horner] showed an interest in Franco,” Catarineu shared in an interview with Corazon de F1.
“It could have been for Red Bull as Max’s teammate or for the second Red Bull team. There were other teams too.”
Horner’s interest in Colapinto publicly came to light at the Brazilian Grand Prix, where the Red Bull team boss was spotted in talks with Williams team principal James Vowles.
“Christian wanted to know what the situation is with Williams and have a chat with James,” explained the commercial director at Bullet Sports Management.
“Eventually, the Red Bull route, for different reasons, could not be.
“First, because Red Bull has many parts, it has a very powerful academy with drivers who were already waiting and, well, it didn’t work out.”
Red Bull’s decision coincided with a series of crashes and missteps for Colapinto in the closing rounds of 2024.
The on-track incidents likely dampened the momentum behind Red Bull’s pursuit, further emphasizing its preference to leverage its established junior talent, which it did by promoting Liam Lawson to Perez’s seat.
While Red Bull’s interest waned, Alpine emerged as a determined suitor for Colapinto, and eventually secured the young driver's services on a long-term contract.
And the persistence of Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore proved key in sealing the deal.
“Flavio said, ‘I want him, and I want him like this and like this,’” Catarineu recounted.
“But it was very complicated because there is Franco as a driver, his management company, there is Williams as ranco’s team, there are the interested other teams.
“But that’s where it started. And Flavio never lost his interest.”
Now part of Alpine, Colapinto will begin the 2025 season as a reserve driver while participating in the team’s simulator program and Testing Previous Cars (TPC) initiative.
“He is super, super happy,” Catarineu remarked. “You have to realise that just a few months ago, we didn’t know if we were ever going to be in Formula 1.
“And then the nine races with Williams happened. But then again, there was uncertainty and his anguish, because there is no place at Williams. And now he is happy. Very happy.”
For Colapinto, the move to Alpine represents a fresh opportunity to carve out a long-term future in F1, even while waiting in the wings this season with the French team.
With his F1 journey now tied to the Enstone-based squad, Colapinto’s story highlights the intense competition and complex negotiations that shape the careers of rising stars in Formula 1.
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