At the Brazilian Grand Prix, a major rumour has surfaced: Red Bull Racing may be looking to partner rising Argentine star Franco Colapinto with Max Verstappen starting in 2025.
The speculation comes as Sergio Perez continues to underperform, with his latest qualifying effort only securing him 13th place for Saturday's sprint race. "He was half a second slower than Max, or even six tenths," Red Bull's Christian Horner told Viaplay. "That's too much."
Horner was also seen leaving the Williams hospitality suite, where Colapinto, 21, is currently contracted but without a guaranteed race seat. Williams team boss James Vowles laughed off the sighting, saying, "We've recently signed a new coffee sponsor and he really wanted to try it. That was a good part of the conversation."
Despite the lighthearted response, Horner didn't entirely dismiss the Colapinto connection.
"There are no negotiations for yet," he told Sky Italia, adding, "We have Liam Lawson, who is also doing a great job. We have plenty of talent in the Red Bull program. There are always various issues to discuss up and down the pitlane, but Franco is doing a great job and we'll keep an eye on him."
When asked about Colapinto's situation, Vowles admitted that interest in the young Argentine is growing across the grid. "Multiple teams" have expressed interest, he revealed, as Colapinto's impressive on-track performance and commercial appeal in Argentina turns heads. "Our responsibility is both towards him and Williams," Vowles explained. "Hopefully we'll have some great news to be able to talk to everyone about, but today that isn't available."
Adding fuel to the speculation, Kleine Zeitung reported that Red Bull may actually be looking to replace Perez by negotiating Carlos Sainz out of his Williams contract, which could allow Colapinto to join Alex Albon at Williams in 2025.
Commenting on Colapinto's rising profile, Max Verstappen acknowledged his talent. "I mean, it's complicated to answer because he (Colapinto) is still contracted to Williams, and of course he's doing a great job," said Verstappen. "I think also Williams is probably scratching their heads a bit about what to do with Franco."
