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Williams driver Franco Colapinto revealed that he would opt to become a strategy engineer if he does not get an F1 seat. His suggestions to the team about the strategy helped him score points in COTA last week.
The 2024 US Grand Prix yielded a positive result for Colapinto as he put his car in P10, finishing in points for the second time this season. During a post-race interview, he revealed the strategy that he had discussed with his team, which had helped him battle for that place.
"It was worth it, eh," Franco Colapinto said. "The team didn't want to leave with hard tires and I say 'come on friend, come on, we could come out at 15, what are we going to do?' We're going to put a harder tire and wait a little longer to see what happens. I wanted to convince them that they are capable, eh."
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Colapinto was one of the last drivers to pit, only coming in after 40 of the 56 laps of the race. This helped him gain an advantage over those who pitted much earlier than him.
Discussing this, he mentioned that becoming a strategy engineer would be a good choice if he does not get a drive with an F1 team.
"Next year if I don't have a seat I'll become a strategy engineer. So let's see, but no, no, [I'm] satisfied. Obviously it was something a little risky but we did well."
Franco Colapinto says nothing has changed regarding his 2025 drive as he discusses his race at COTA
Colapinto marked his F1 debut earlier this year at Monza during the Italian Grand Prix. Williams signed him mid-season as they replaced Logan Sargeant, who hadn't scored any points for the team.
While his results in the races have been impressive so far, he will not continue with the team in 2025. Carlos Sainz from Ferrari, who will be replaced by Lewis Hamilton, will drive at Williams. His contract was signed earlier this season.
However, the US Grand Prix did display Franco Colapinto's excellent skillset and racecraft as he started from P15 and finished in P10. While this might be enough for teams to raise an eyebrow and perhaps sign him for the future, the 21-year-old feels that nothing has changed regarding his future.
When asked by Sportskeeda during a media session about his drive at COTA and if it positively affects his chances of getting a seat in the future, Franco Colapinto said:
"Same position. Nothing changes."
He then discussed his race, revealing that the Williams had pace on the hard tires and he was able to make up time racing in free air:
“Yeah, I am happy. it was a very tough Saturday for us and I think we knew that we had the pace in the car to be strong and to deliver in the race. That's why I decided to start on the hard to have a bit of clean air. I felt that maybe it was not ideal. But I knew that having the pace on the hard, it was going to be better for us. You know, to try and have that pace in the clean air and do the jump on the track, whilst we were on our sequence."
Franco Colapinto has managed to finish in points twice in four races, proving to be a promising driver for the future.
