Franco Colapinto could have stayed in F1 at the expense of his teammate Alex Albon, says Ted Kravitz

F1 insider Ted Kravitz has claimed that Franco Colapinto could have partnered with Carlos Sainz at Williams Racing in the 2025 season, while Alex Albon could have moved back to Red Bull Racing. Colapinto was signed mid-season by the Grove-based outfit to replace Logan Sargeant.

Despite his strong performances, it appears that the Argentine driver will not be present on the grid with the Williams badge as the team has signed Carlos Sainz, who is departing from Ferrari. He will drive alongside Alex Albon, who has been with the team since 2022 after his exit from Red Bull.

However, Kravitz feels that Colapinto could still have his seat at Williams. He claimed that RBR had the option to trigger an exit clause in Albon's contract that would bring him back to the team.

"As I understand it, there is a get out clause in Albon’s Williams contract that basically allows him to leave if Red Bull come knocking again," Sky quoted Kravitz.

He further mentioned that Alex Albon would have handled Max Verstappen better at Red Bull and Williams would have been "perfect" with Colapinto and Sainz.

"Williams could have run Franco Colapinto and Carlos Sainz, perfect, and Alex Albon, at least, would have been a known measure against Max Verstappen. Albon is so much older and wiser and knows how to handle Max and the whole situation and I don’t know why they haven’t done that."

Albon drove alongside Verstappen at Red Bull from mid-2019 and then the entire 2020 season. However, the team sacked him and signed Sergio Perez.

Interestingly enough, the team recently parted ways with Perez and is set to announce the replacement "in due course."

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Alex Albon lauds Franco Colapinto and "believe[s]" he will return to the F1 grid

In the nine races he entered, Franco Colapinto managed to score points in two of them and finished the season in 19th place in the drivers' standings. Logan Sargeant (whom he replaced) had scored one point in one and a half seasons.

After the season's final race at Abu Dhabi, Alex Albon lauded Colapinto's performance, which he delivered despite racing with the team for only a short period. He remarked that he had underestimated the 21-year-old earlier, but now believes that he will return to the grid soon.

"I mean, [he’s a] fantastic driver,” Albon told media in Abu Dhabi. "I feel like he’s proved his worth in Formula 1."

"He’s very talented. Definitely, when he joined, I underestimated just how quick he was going to be, and I believe we’ll see him in Formula 1 at some point in the future."

Franco Colapinto does not have a seat for 2025, however, he might earn a spot in the future. F1 is set to expand with General Motors joining the grid in 2026. While it might not primarily pick Colapinto, there still could be more opportunities on the grid.