Franco Colapinto He is one of the young promises of Argentine motorsport abroad. In 2023 it will run again in the opening act formula 3 with the illusion of one day making the leap and reaching Formula 1. It was precisely the top category that included him in the list of “20 Most Exciting Emerging Talents” continue this season.

F1 official website selection includes young people from 13 (Thai Enzo Tarnvanichkul) to 22 years (Japanese Ayumu Iwasa) and which demonstrate that the best motorsport is no longer only in Europe.

Half of the chosen ones come from countries of the Old Continent but the rest are distributed all over the world; three of them are South American.

Unlike Colapinto, with no family history in top-level motorsport, the other chosen Latinos are Colombian Sebastián Montoya, 17-year-old son of former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya, and Brazilian Enzo Fittipaldi, 21-year-old grandson of two-time champion Emerson Fittipaldi.

“Franco Colapinto, a driver who has recently joined the Williams Racing Academy, it was another F3 rookie who stole his fair share of titles last year. Taking pole position on his debut in Bahrain, Colapinto scored two victories in his first season,” they comment on the Formula 1 website.

There, they also believe that the change to MP Motorsportsteam that finished fourth in the Constructors’ Championship last season, “should give them the tools to improve further this year and step up to become a title contender“in F3.

In the footsteps of Reutemann

Williams is one of the most traditional teams in Formula 1. It was created in 1977 by Frank Williams and Patrick Head and won nine constructors’ championships between 1980 and 1997. Great motor sport legends such as Alan Jones, Keijo Rosberg, Nelson Piquet , Nigel Mansell , Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve. In that team he shone Carlos Reutemanwhich scored three victories and was very close to becoming champion in 1981. And it was also the car in which Ayrton Senna, one of the best of all time, lost his life.

“It’s an incredible opportunity that I am very grateful for. Thank you to all of Williams for believing in me. Eager and very excited to start working with this amazing team“, Franco Colapinto posted on his Instagram account when announcing his arrival.

“We are delighted to welcome Franco to the Williams Racing Driver Academy. His career achievements since he started racing karts highlight the natural ability he has behind the wheel and what he is capable of for years to come.” said Steven Smeets, sporting director of Williams Racing. .

“He had an outstanding rookie season in Formula 3 with several strong performances leading to podiums and victories. We look forward to working closely with Franco to support and nurture his development as a driver,” he added. Smeets.