Colapinto reveals damning F1 expectations

Franco Colapinto has revealed that he "was expecting to be quick" from the get-go in F1 after Williams promoted him to replace Logan Sargeant. 

The Williams Academy driver was promoted by the Grove-based team ahead of the Italian Grand Prix and has impressed since making his debut at Monza. 

In his three appearances, the 21-year-old has finished 12th, eighth and 11th, with Sargeant's career-best result of 10th in the 2023 United States Grand Prix bettered by Colapinto in just his second race.

Whilst many have been caught by surprise at how well Colapinto has adjusted to F1, the driver himself is not.  

"I know what I can do, and I was expecting to be quick," Colapinto told Motorsport.com. 

"Even though I didn't have a lot of experience with the car, that was the idea of the team, and why they put me in the car, so I'm happy to be helping the team."

Colapinto has proven to be a quick learner, which has seen him push team-mate Alex Albon. 

The Argentine could not be happier with how he has performed, but also with how much he is discovering each time he gets behind the wheel. 

"I think we are doing a good job together as a team," added Colapinto.

"It's tough. There are a lot of things you can do in the car with the tools and so much stuff that you can change. 

"But I am learning every time I'm going out and I'm just getting a bit more used to the car, a bit more used to how I can extract the maximum performance of the car, and that's going well."

Colapinto living 'dream'

Becoming an F1 driver has seen Colapinto already achieve his dream at a much younger age than he expected. 

Prior to replacing Sargeant, Colapinto had been competing in Formula 2 for MP Motorsport and was a title outsider after claiming two podiums and a victory. 

Williams' promotiion has turned the young driver's life upside down, with Albon a huge help in managing the world of F1. 

"Yeah, it changed a lot," added Colapinto. "The day before I was still racing in F2. It was a big step forward, of course, a dream come true.

"I am enjoying the opportunity a lot, and I know it is going to be tough, but we are doing a great job as a team to make me go through that learning process quickly. 

"We already scored points in only my second race together. It's a dream come true to be working this well together as a team.

"Alex has helped me so much since I arrived in Formula 1. To have a reference that, in my opinion, is one of the best of the grid, it's really positive and has helped me to do all these steps so much quicker since I arrived in Monza.

"It's a great way to start to have a team-mate like that."