F1 prodigy Franco Colapinto could get the backing of $85.6B Mexican businessman who also supports Sergio Perez

Rising Formula 1 star Franco Colapinto could be set to get backing from Carlos Slim Domit, president of Escuderia Telmex. As reported by ESPN, the son of the $85.6 billion-worth Mexican business mogul Carlos Slim Helu spoke about supporting the young Latin American racer along with Red Bull Racing's Sergio Perez.

Perez has had a troublesome 2024 season with the 34-year-old finishing last in the Mexican Grand Prix (17th place as Fernando Alonso, Alex Albon, and Yuki Tsunoda did not finish). This allowed Ferrari to leapfrog Red Bull in the contructors' standings. Rumors of the Austrian team evaluating whether to keep the Mexican driver have also been doing rounds since the race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Meanwhile, Williams F1 rookie Colapinto, who joined the grid during the Italian Grand Prix weekend has already managed to score points for the British team in two of his five races so far (Azerbaijan and Austin). His steady performance and racecraft has caught the attention of Slim Jr. During an interaction with ESPN, the businessman spoke about possibly supporting Colapinto's career in F1.

"Many times we have been with many drivers, we were with Bruno Senna, we were with Pietro Fittipaldi, and we were with the two Mexican riders with Checo and with Esteban (Gutierrez). If there were an opportunity to talk about doing something with Franco, it would not be anything related to Checo," Slim Jr. said.

"We always seek to support Latin American drivers, Franco Colapinto is doing very well, but without a doubt our important project has always been to continue building the development of Mexican drivers and Checo, without a doubt, is the one who represents us all," he added.

Meanwhile, with AT&T planning to make big investment in Red Bull, Slim Jr. owned Telmax will likely pull out as sponsor for the Austrian team from 2025 season.

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"We bounced back" - Franco Colapinto on Williams pace in midfield during the Mexican Grand Prix

Franco Colapinto ended the Mexican Grand Prix in 12th place. He said that he was content with the pace of Williams' race car around the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez during a post-race media interaction.

"I think more than the point, I’m happy for the pace we had and how strong we were in the race. After a very tough Saturday for us, we bounced back and showed the pace we had and we were one of the strongest in the midfield," Franco Colapinto commented.

"That’s really positive for us and what we were looking for. And I think after such a tough Saturday for the team, to have this point, to have the pace, to have the fastest lap until the end of the race, it’s something else, you know," he added.

As of now, the 24-year-old racer has started in five races and has managed to score five points (eighth place in Azerbaijan and tenth place at COTA).