close
close

Karun Chandhok warns Franco Colapinto against ‘career-ruining’ move for 2025 after Sao Paulo Grand Prix crash

Posted on by Bobb
Karun Chandhok warns Franco Colapinto against ‘career-ruining’ move for 2025 after Sao Paulo Grand Prix crash

Williams Racing driver Franco Colapinto had a forgettable qualifying session ahead of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Conditions at Interlagos were treacherous ahead of Sunday’s sixth qualifying session in Formula 1 history following track conditions. Grand Prix of Sao Paulo. were too wet to race after the sprint race.

This meant a 7:30am local time start for the teams and media in the paddock, with drivers having to rely entirely on wet tires during the first quarter.

Valtteri Bottas experimented with intermediate tires – and briefly spun as a result – and Oscar Piastri was the first driver to set a competitive lap in Q2 on intermediate tires, with conditions being exceptionally difficult throughout.

Williams driver Franco Colapinto I learned first-hand how difficult Formula 1 racing can be on a wet track.

The 21-year-old’s crash at Turn 3 brought out red flags that interrupted the already delayed session.

Argentine Williams driver Franco Colapinto's car left the track after an accident during Formula 1 qualifying.
Photo by MIGUL SHINKARIOL/AFP via Getty Images

Karun Chandhok spoke in Sky Sport F1 about the Argentine and his future after this season.

Colapinto linked with move to Red Bullbut Chandhok now believes it could have a detrimental effect on his Formula One career if he joins a top team too early.

Despite some very impressive performances, he is still error-prone and was slower than teammate Alex Albon in both Brazil and the previous race in Mexico City.

Karun Chandhok warns Franco Colapinto against joining Red Bull in 2025

Colapinto drove along the normal line into Turn 1 before having to adjust the rear of his car coming out of Turn 2.

However, a momentary loss of control on Colapinto’s long left-hand turn three caused the hydroplane to crash into the barriers on the outside of the turn.

Reflecting on Colapinto’s collapse and his future, Chandhok said: “He was a great example to everyone of how important first impressions are in any job.

“He arrived with a bang, didn’t he? Great first few races, but actually now when you start to get into it you see that in Mexico he was well behind Albon’s time, in sprint qualifying on Friday he was a little behind Albon’s time again.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Williams Racing: from team principal to relationship with Mercedes

“There’s a lot of talk about putting it straight into Red Bull, there’s a lot of excitement about putting it straight into Red Bull.

“I think for someone so young and inexperienced, throwing him straight into Red Bull next to Max Verstappen could be detrimental to his career.

“He’s obviously very talented and very fast, but you can’t just cut experience and I wonder if he’d be better off at RB for a while and then maybe end up at Red Bull later.”

Helmut Marko concerned about Franco Colapinto ahead of Red Bull rumors

Colapinto had to wait nervously to find out if Williams could repair his car in time to compete in Sunday’s Grand Prix.

He will be working hard to add to his five points in the Drivers’ Championship as he will start 18th if he does not receive any penalties for replacing parts of his car following the crash.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Williams driver Franco Colapinto, plus stats

Christian Horner is a Colapinto fan. after a strong start in Formula 1 with Williams keeping the Argentine as a reserve driver if he fails to secure a place elsewhere on the grid.

Helmut Marko is less enthusiastic about Colapinto because he would like to continue promoting Red Bulls own talent rather than relying on bringing in drivers from other places.

Related Posts