SINGAPORE, Sept 20 (Askume) – Williams team principal James Vowles said on Friday the team is happy to offer Argentine newbie Franco Kolapin a Formula One seat next season and is willing to work with Sauber to negotiate.
Switzerland-based Sauber, which will become the Audi factory team in 2026, has not yet confirmed a second driver for next season, with several candidates under discussion.
Valls told Askume at the Singapore Grand Prix that apart from a conversation at Monza – when Colapinto took over from American Logan Sargeant in Formula One – he had not spoken to newly appointed Sauber CEO Mattia Binotto and had no direct talks.
“From our point of view, Franco is an incredible driver and he has proven himself against the benchmark driver Alex,” the British driver added.
“From his point of view, we are open to talks if he wants. It is up to him to decide, in 2025 and beyond it is his decision, but from my point of view, I think he will be a very valuable asset.”
Colapinto, 21, won praise at last weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, finishing eighth in the second race and qualifying ahead of his old teammate Alex Albon, who finished seventh.
The points moved Williams Racing into eighth place, ahead of Renault-owned Alpine.
“Franco wasn’t a nobody, but we knew what he could do behind the scenes,” Walls said.
“If you look at his career, he didn’t even have time to train and there were always people in his teams who were kind enough to help him financially at the last minute.
“But every time he performs and does a great job. He deserves a place in Formula One.”
Valls said that apart from Red Bull’s RB, Sauber is the only team that has not fully confirmed its 2025 lineup, so they may see how Colapinto performs before making a decision.
After Singapore, Formula 1 will compete for six rounds, including three sprint races, before the season ends in early December.
“If I were him, I would take the time to see how Franco plays over the next two games, maybe a little longer than that, and make a decision,” Walls said.
Sauber’s other options include the current lineup of veteran Finn Valtteri Bottas and Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu, as well as Brazilian F2 leader Gabriele Bortoleto, who is part of McLaren’s driver development program.
Separately, while in Singapore for the race weekend, Walls and Williams business advisor Peter Kenyon said they were in talks with Asian businesses about how to promote the sport more widely in the region.
“Asia has always been an important market and we believe it will become even more important,” Kenyon said.
“We believe there will be more races here in the coming years and that will benefit the region, the teams and we really want to be a leader in this because we understand the importance of this market.”
