Helmut Marko addresses wild Franco Colapinto to Red Bull rumours
Helmut Marko explains why Red Bull did not turn to Franco Colapinto as a potential option for their driver dilemma.
Helmut Marko appears to have finally put to bed rumours linking Franco Colapinto with Red Bull.
Spanish media reports linked Colapinto, who is Alpine’s reserve driver for 2025, to Racing Bulls as a possible option for the team before the decision to swap Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda was announced.
Colapinto caught Red Bull’s attention with his impressive early displays as a late-season replacement for Logan Sargeant at Williams last year, before a series of hefty crashes saw the team’s interest in the 21-year-old Argentine cool.
Having missed out on a full-time seat, Colapinto signed for Alpine in a reserve role as he waits in the wings to potentially replace Jack Doohan, who is under pressure to perform in his rookie F1 season.
The rumours linking Colapinto with Red Bull came after Marko was seen in Alpine’s hospitality over the Chinese Grand Prix weekend as speculation over Lawson’s future was rife.
Marko has now revealed the reason for his Alpine visit and insisted Colapinto was not discussed during a catch up with team principal Oliver Oakes.
“Yes, I have a good relationship with Ollie Oakes,” Marko told Motorsport.com.
“He has regularly run some of our drivers in his various teams across the junior categories.
“One of his drivers is currently racing in the British [F4, Fionn McLaughlin], for example. That was the reason I met with him. Colapinto wasn’t a topic.”
Was Colapinto ever in the Red Bull frame?
Colapinto scored five points in nine starts for Williams but was overlooked was a candidate for Racing Bulls in 2025.
But Red Bull instead decided to promote Formula 2 runner-up Isack Hadjar to partner Tsunoda.
Marko says Colapinto was never “a serious consideration” for Red Bull.
“Colapinto had a very strong debut in Formula 1,” he added. “And of course, you have to keep an eye on how things are developing.
“But in the end, he wasn’t a serious consideration.
“We had Hadjar, who was consistently faster in Formula 2 than Colapinto and, as has now been proven, turned out to be the right choice.”
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