I know what I can do, I was expecting to be quick

Franco Colapinto has surprised the outside world with his impressive Formula 1 performances for Williams since an unexpected Monza debut. But himself? Not so much.

Colapinto was dropped into the Williams to replace the struggling Logan Sargeant from September’s Italian Grand Prix onwards. At the time questions were raised over whether or not the Argentinian F2 prospect was ready, and whether team boss James Vowles was taking a huge risk by turning to a fresh-faced rookie to help Williams score vital points, having had just a single free practice outing with its 2024 car. Three races on, Vowles has now been asked by those same journalists why he didn’t bring in Colapinto sooner.

It shows just how big an impression Colapinto has made in his three races so far, with a promising debut in Italy followed by his first points in Baku and another solid drive in Singapore.

For all the hoo-ha around his rapid ascent, Colapinto has taken to F1 like a duck to water and doesn’t seem at all fazed by the extra attention on him, or surprised by how he has been able to get closer to his experienced team-mate Alex Albon in three races than his predecessor has been able to do.

“No, I know what I can do, and I was expecting to be quick,” a relaxed and quietly self-assured Colapinto told Autosport during an interview in Singapore. “Even though I didn’t have a lot of experience with the car, that was the idea of the team and why they put me in the car, so I’m happy to be helping the team.”

Following Oliver Bearman’s standout Ferrari debut in Jeddah, Colapinto is the latest example of rookie drivers coming in and immediately making an impression, helped by thousands of hours on high-tech simulators and being embedded in their respective teams as reserve drivers, being fully prepped mentally and physically to be as ready as they can be when called upon.

“I think we are doing a good job together as a team,” he said about his learning process.

“It’s tough. There are a lot of things you can do in the car with the tools and so much stuff that you can change. But I am learning every time I’m going out and I’m just getting a bit more used to the car, a bit more used to how I can extract the maximum performance of the car, and that’s going well.”

Speaking to Autosport at the Gulf Speed Festival in Sao Paulo, Albon said he was impressed at…