Christian Horner drops the biggest hint yet about Franco Colapinto amid Red Bull rumors

Christian Horner has dropped the biggest hint yet that Red Bull is interested in signing Franco Colapinto for F1 2025, describing the Williams driver as “a potential star of the future”.

Colapinto has made a good impression since replacing Logan Sargeant at Williams ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, scoring points in just his second F1 appearance at the notoriously demanding Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan.

Christian Horner questioned Red Bull's Franco Colapinto pursuit

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

The Argentine followed this with a 10th-place finish at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, last month.

With Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon signed up for Williams in Formula 1 2025, it is highly unlikely that Colapinto will compete for his current employer next season, with team principal James Vowles prepared to allow the 21-year-old to join a rival team to allow.

Speculation that Red Bull could move for Colapinto increased on Friday at the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos, where Horner left the Williams hospitality department shortly before training.

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PlanetF1.com understands that Colapinto is seriously fighting to be included in the Red Bull group for F1 2025, and that there is also an unknown second team – presumably not Audi F1, the only non-Red Bull Team that is still determining its driver line-up for next season.

Asked whether Red Bull is among the teams interested in Colapinto, Horner pointed to the immediate impact Red Bull VCARB driver Liam Lawson and Haas youngster Oliver Bearman made in Formula 1 2024.

And he teased that Red Bull is watching the driver market closely and Colapinto describes himself as a future star.

Horner said Sky F1: “I think it's great to see these juniors doing a great job.

“We obviously have Liam Lawson in the VCARB who is doing a really good job. Oliver Bearman should be recognized today because he was impressive.

“I think Franco is, once again, a kid who is doing really, really well.

“Of course you always keep an eye on the driver market and I think Franco definitely has the qualities to be a potential star of the future.”

Horner's comments come after Vowles confirmed Williams was “actively working” with interested teams on a solution for Colapinto for F1 2025.

And he revealed that Colapinto's plans for next season are expected to be decided before the finale of the 2024 F1 season in Abu Dhabi next month.

At the team bosses' press conference in Sao Paulo on Friday, Vowles said: “The best thing I can really tell you is that we are actively working with teams that are interested in finding the right agreement that helps Franco and Franco too “protects” and protects all parties.

“So there is a lot in these lines. The same concept lies behind it.

“It's never easy between Formula 1 teams because you fight on the track and try to find a solution for a young man's career, but he deserves his place.”

“He still needs to do more on the track to continue to earn his place, but he is shining and that is why there is interest from the teams and we have a responsibility for that, because I have both to him and to Williams and hopefully to Williams too us responsibility.” I will have great news to talk to everyone about. But today that is not available.

“Things like this are always difficult because it involves multiple teams working together.

“But I am confident that we will have a direct hit before the last race of the season.

“But I’m having a really hard time pinpointing exactly where between these two timelines.”

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