Franco Colapinto has undergone one of the most dynamic developments in international motorsport in recent years. From a karting driver in Argentina to European junior series, podiums in endurance racing, and success in Formula 3 and Formula 2, through to his Formula 1 debut for Williams in 2024, his career chronology is unusually dense. For newsrooms, blogs, and social media formats, his path illustrates how modern driver careers emerge: global, data‑driven, and strongly shaped by development programs. Colapinto’s move to Alpine in 2025 and the confirmed prospects for 2026 reinforce this trend and make him a long‑term relevant figure for sports and news publishing.
IMAGO / Eibner / Memmler / Franco Colapinto (Argentina, MP Motorsport, Williams Academy Junior) celebrates on the podium during the award ceremony for the victory, FIA Formula 2 Championship, Sprint Race.
Born in 2003 in Pilar near Buenos Aires, Colapinto stood out in karting at a young age with strong technical acuity and a consistent willingness to learn. The move to Europe came early, supported by family sacrifices, with the goal of making a career in top‑tier formula series possible. This early internationalization shaped his driving style and working methods: from the outset, Colapinto learned to assert himself in competitive, culturally diverse fields — an aspect later rated positively by Formula 3 and Formula 2 teams.
Winning the Spanish Formula 4 championship in 2019 marked Colapinto’s first major breakthrough. The year not only brought a title but also served international teams as a reference for how he could develop consistently over an entire season while remaining tactically adaptable. His performances led to invitations to European and Oceanian junior series, substantially broadening his profile and drawing the attention of major teams’ junior programs for the first time.
In 2020, Colapinto secured front‑running overall positions in both the Formula Renault Eurocup and the Toyota Racing Series. This combination of two completely different championships — one technically demanding, the other intensely race‑heavy — highlighted his ability to adapt quickly to new conditions. Teams later emphasized that Colapinto developed during this phase one of the rare strengths decisive in modern Formula 1: the capacity to process complex car characteristics without a long adjustment period.
In 2021, Colapinto made a surprising switch to the LMP2 class in endurance racing. Although the step seemed unusual at first, its value quickly became clear: managing heavy traffic, changing conditions, and extensive team communication had a lasting impact on his race understanding. Podiums in the Asian Le Mans Series and the European Le Mans Series, along with consistent long‑distance performances, sent a clear signal to later F2 and F1 teams that he was not only fast but also strategically resilient. His ability to assess tire conditions precisely was repeatedly highlighted in later simulator and training analyses.
From 2022, Colapinto competed in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, where he earned wins and podiums already in his rookie season. The series is highly compressed, making his consistency particularly valuable. In 2023, a move to a top team produced a noticeable step forward: Colapinto showed clearer qualifying patterns, improved tire precision, and race management that put him in promising positions in the overall standings. The results confirmed he was ready for the next category.
IMAGO / Panoramic by PsnewZ RANCO COLAPINTO (ARG) AUTOMOBILE : EUROPEAN LE MANS SERIES 2021
A full‑time entry into Formula 2 in 2024 brought multiple podiums and steady points finishes. Even more decisive was his parallel integration into the Williams junior program, which gave him the chance to drive a Formula 1 car for the first time at a young driver test. This combination of sporting performance and structural connection to an F1 team ultimately led to his mid‑season promotion during 2024.
IMAGO / Panoramic by PsnewZ COLAPINTO Franco (arg), MP Motorsport, Dallara F3, portrait during the 9th round of the 2023 FIA Formula 3 Championship from September 1 to 3, 2023 on the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, in Monza, Italy
An unexpected call from Williams in the summer of 2024 meant Colapinto made his debut at Monza mid‑season. Just one race later, he achieved a result in Baku that made Argentine motorsport history: he scored World Championship points in Formula 1, the first Argentine to do so in over 40 years. The remainder of the season featured progress and setbacks — from strong defensive maneuvers to incidents typical of a rookie’s familiarization phase in a top‑level technical discipline.
IMAGO / Panoramic by PsnewZ 12 COLAPINTO Franco (arg), MP Motorsport, Dallara F2 2024, action during the 8th round of the 2024 FIA Formula 2 Championship from July 5 to 7, 2024 on the Silverstone Circuit, in Silverstone, United Kingdom
Across nine Grands Prix, Colapinto stayed relatively close to teammate Alex Albon, an experienced driver who served as a benchmark. Data analyses showed that Colapinto made progress particularly in fast sections and with degrading tires. At the same time, the season revealed structural limits: setup issues, spare‑parts constraints, and a varying car balance complicated continuous development. Even so, the central conclusion was positive — Colapinto established himself in the field in a very short time.
IMAGO / NurPhoto / Nicolas Economou F1 Grand Prix Of Abu Dhabi Franco Colapinto of Argentina driver of Williams Racing Formula One Team car
For 2025, Colapinto moved to Alpine, initially as a test and reserve driver. The team saw him as a driver with medium‑term potential and put him into race outings a few rounds after the season start. His early appearances showed a mix of adaptation phases and clear progress. In technical exchanges with engineers, Colapinto’s ability to connect data with subjective feedback precisely stood out — an increasingly important aspect of modern vehicle development.
IMAGO / Alessio de Marco Franco Colapinto (ARG) - Alpine F1 during the Race of Sunday of the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2025
The first Grands Prix with Alpine varied in outcome, but growing assurance was apparent by Monaco. In Montreal, Colapinto achieved a qualifying result that, for the first time, tipped the internal comparison with Pierre Gasly in favor of the Argentine. In the race, he delivered controlled pace and strategic stability. This phase served Alpine as a central evaluation window and led to Colapinto being retained in the cockpit for the long term.
IMAGO / Gregoire Truchet Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2025 Franco Colapinto (BWT Alpine F1 Team, 43) and Flavio Briatore (Teamchef, BWT Alpine Formula One Team) at BWT Alpine F1
By the end of the 2025 season, Colapinto had not yet scored World Championship points, but his trajectory was clearly positive. Alpine especially valued his ability to respond systematically to technical feedback and reduce driving deficits over short periods. Confirmation as a full‑time race driver for 2026 therefore marks not only a career step but also a team statement focused on sustainable development. For the media, this creates a clear storyline that can be continued over time.
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