Colapinto ready for F1 exit as options dwindle

Franco Colapinto insists racing in F1 remains the priority despite his dwindling options to find a race seat for next season.

The Argentine driver always faced an uphill battle in securing a full-time drive for 2025, with a switch to Red Bull or RB the only remaining possibility.

Having taken over Logan Sargeant's position following the Dutch Grand Prix, he knew the immediate stint at Williams would be for nine rounds at best, with Carlos Sainz already contracted to partner Alexander Albon next term.

The 21-year-old surprised the paddock by how adeptly he took to life in F1, so far proving he has what it takes to establish himself in the so-called pinnacle of motorsport.

However, when asked about his future, he was also keen to express that F1 is not the be-all and end-all for him and that he would rather race elsewhere next year than not at all.

"I don't really know about my future at the moment, it's more [for] my managers," Colapinto told media including RacingNews365.

"James [Vowles] is also involved in what I can do. Of course, my goal and my target is to stay in Formula 1.

"If I don't have a seat in F1, I would like to still be racing. I guess they are trying to see at every opportunity what is possible.

"I really want to still be racing and still be active. I want to always be part of the [F1] paddock - I think it's very important.

"But I love racing, and if it's not here, because there is not a chance for 2025, I hope to be around in '26 or '27.

"I hope to be showing that I deserve a seat here, but if I cannot be racing [in F1], instead of looking at the TV for 24 races, I would love to be driving a car still."

Despite rampant speculation linking him to a move to the Red Bull family, Colapinto says he is trying to focus as the job at hand.

If the Milton Keynes squad does decide to fire Sergio Perez during the off-season, the 21-year-old will be in contention with Isack Hadjar for a seat, most likely at RB, with Liam Lawson or Yuki Tsunoda expected to partner Max Verstappen.

"I haven't really thought much about my future so far," he added. "I've been trying to focus race-by- race [and] session-by-session and just trying to do my best.

"[I'm] not really focusing on what I want to achieve or what expectations I have. [I'm] just trying to do the basics right, and then we see where we end up, but at the moment, it is going well."