Gunther Steiner warns Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon: "Franco Colapinto is younger and costs less"

09/30/2024 03:03 PM

Next year, Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon will make up the Williams lineup, but Gunther Steiner thinks they already have a viable option at Grove. The former Haas team principal was quite impressed by Franco Colapinto’s Formula 1 debut. The Argentine made a strong impression in his early outings, scoring points in only his second race.

Currently, the young 21-year-old does not have a seat for 2025. There are talks of James Vowles attempting to secure a deal with Audi, but Franco Colapinto has downplayed these rumors.

Gunther Steiner "enchanted" by Franco Colapinto
Speaking on the Red Flags Podcast, Gunther Steiner expressed admiration for what he has seen in Franco Colapinto’s recent races with Williams and believes Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon will be under special scrutiny next year.

"The great Alex Albon, the most talented driver after Michael Schumacher. Then comes a guy whose name nobody even knows how to pronounce. People are like, 'Where does this guy come from?'

"I have great respect for Alex; he's a good driver, but you can see that this Colapinto… I didn't have him on my radar. Kudos to James Vowles. He's discovered a great talent. The guy comes in and nearly beats or equals Alex Albon, who we all know is a good driver. But he doesn't have a seat for next season. I think Williams will be paying attention next year when Carlos drives the second car, or the first car, or whatever we want to call it, and then they will see where Alex stands." – Gunther Steiner pointed out.

"If they are both equal, they will say they have Colapinto," continued the former Haas team principal. "He is ten years younger than these guys, costs much less, but he doesn't have a seat. It's a good position for them."

"I'm sure that, given what he has shown, they will try to find a place for him, and people will be watching him. Of course, he has had some small incidents, but he always got back on track. He crashed and got back in the game. It's really impressive."

"He wants to prove that he's here to stay. And he has succeeded. In the three races he has run for Williams, I believe he has shown that he deserves to be there." – Gunther Steiner concluded.

Source: f1ingenerale

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