In a season that consolidated Max Verstappen as champion for the fourth consecutive timethe Argentine Franco Colapinto managed to leave his mark on the Formula 1. His emergence in the last nine races of 2024, after being chosen by Williams to replace the American Logan Sargeantput him on the radar of world motorsports fans and analysts.
Such was the attention that the Pilarense aroused, that his maneuver to overtake the experienced Fernando Alonso in the United States Grand Prixs was nominated for best pass of the year a recognition that highlights his talent on the court.
The overtaking took place on October 20 in the Circuit of the Americaswhere Colapinto starred in one of the most memorable actions of the season. During lap 23, after putting pressure on Alonso for several laps, the 21-year-old driver took advantage of the width of the first corner, attacked on the inside and took the pilot’s position Aston Martin. It was a clean and calculated maneuver, which highlighted the Argentine’s ability to compete at the highest level.
Colapinto’s performance in that race also allowed him to close in the tenth place after having started from position 15, adding a valuable point for his team. This achievement, combined with his consistent performance, positions him as one of the Most notable emerging talents of the season.
The recognition does not end there, since Formula 1 shared a video on its social networks with the nine maneuvers nominated for the pass of the year, including the Argentine’s action along with others starring drivers such as Charles Leclerc , Oscar Piastri , Yuki Tsunoda and his teammate, Alex Albon who competes for a double overtake in the Canadian Grand Prix.
Franco Colapinto’s overtaking of Alonso
The changes in the regulations for 2025 and 2026
Parallel to the balances of the season, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) announced key adjustments to the regulations that will come into force from 2025. These modifications aim to two central areas: the management of thermal risk for pilots and DRS optimization in single-seaters.
Concern about extreme heat, evidenced in events such as the Singapore Grand Prixled the FIA to implement new regulations. When temperatures exceed 30.5 °C, a “ heat hazard ”, forcing the teams to equip additional cooling systems for the pilots. To compensate, the minimum weight of the cars will be increased by 5 kg throughout the weekend.
Regarding DRS, the changes seek to prevent strategies such as the “mini-DRS” used by McLaren in 2024. Now, the minimum gap in the rear wing slots will be reduced from 10-15mm to 9.4-13mm and new rules were established to ensure that the rear wing returns exactly to its original position after each activation of the system.
The future of Franco Colapinto
is located in the center of a intense negotiation that could open the doors of Formula 1 in 2025. Between Alpine and Williamsdiscussions are advancing strongly, and definitions seem to depend on the decisions of key figures such as James Vowles and Flavio Briatore.
According to recent reports, Briatore, an influential figure in Alpine, would be pushing to incorporate Colapinto into the French teamchallenging Williams’ interest in retaining the young driver. The Italian manager would have already prepared a specific offer, although the obstacle is the high cost of terminating the current contract from Pilarense with the British team.
In principle, Williams proposed a loan as a temporary solutionbut Alpine rejected that possibility and also rejected the €20 million that the British team requested to free the pilot. The French team argues that the recent incidents involving the Argentine in the Brazilian and Las Vegas Grand Prix reduced their market value, and They seek to close an agreement for a lower figure.
Source: Ambito
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