Colapinto hailed as the 'Argentine Verstappen'

Former F1 driver Miguel Angel Guerra has heaped praise on compatriot Franco Colpainto, labelling him "the Argentine Verstappen”.

Colapinto was drafted into the Williams team to replace an underperforming Logan Sargeant after the Dutch Grand Prix.

The 21-year-old has impressed in his three race outings so far, scoring four points at the Azerbaijan GP last month. Sargeant managed just one point in his 36 races.

His strong opening run of events has seen his name thrown into contention for a race seat at the Stake F1 team next year ahead of its transition to Audi in 2026.

The Buenos Aires-born driver received praise from Guerra, likening him to three-time F1 champion Max Verstappen.

"We have an impressive driver. He is the Argentine Verstappen," said Guerra, as quoted by El Gráfico.

“Any clear-headed team principal, like James Vowles at Williams, should already be talking to his representatives.”

Guerra added that Colapinto's outings were more impressive than several more experienced drivers in competitive machinery.

“In three races he had fewer mistakes than Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, Charles Leclerc or Checo Perez, who seem to be the rookies,” he said.

"Franco runs like an experienced driver. That's why they already started talking about him.

“It was all very nice in the first race and the warm welcome, but when they see that he is racing them as an equal, everything changes.”