Although there are technically still a couple of seats available on the 2025 Formula 1 grid, only the second spot at Sauber is really up for grabs.
The team, which will become Audi in 2026, has already picked Nico Hulkenberg for next season, but there are still several contenders vying for the second cockpit.
Our writers offer their views on who the team should pick to partner the German.
Colapinto showed he’s ready for it – Mark Manns-Bryan
Franco Colapinto would be a brave and eye-catching shout from Audi but it would also be a move that makes perfect sense as they prepare to complete its full takeover of the Sauber team in 2026.
The Argentinian has shown in just two Formula 1 races that he can compete, can recover from errors any rookie driver could make and also that he is able to score points, something Sauber has not managed yet in the 2024 season.
Franco Colapinto, Williams Racing
Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images
He jumped into the Williams with almost no notice and drove well at Monza, backing that up at another difficult track in Baku, where he broke Alex Albon’s 50-race streak of outqualifying his team-mate.
Colapinto then drove a smart race, making his strategy and tyres work before taking advantage of the late crash between Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez to claim his first world championship points.
A team also needs a balanced driver line-up and there is little doubt that Colapinto would benefit hugely from pairing up with the much more experienced Nico Hulkenberg, while also playing the role of keeping the German honest and on his toes in a similar manner to that which we saw from Oliver Bearman alongside Hulkenberg in the Haas in Baku.
The timing would also work in Colapinto’s favour, having a year to develop as a Formula 1 driver under the Sauber banner before the real spotlight is shone on the squad when it takes on the Audi banner.
Off the track, the fervour around Colapinto’s promotion into F1 has been incredible as Argentinian fans – and those across Latin America on the whole – have thrown their weight behind the 21-year-old and would no doubt latch onto the Audi team to follow their new hero.
The same could also be said of Argentinian backers, with both Globant and Mercado Libre joining Williams since the announcement Colapinto would take Logan Sargeant’s seat.
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