Max Verstappen makes ‘shame’ comment after rookie Franco Colapinto beat Lewis Hamilton

In just his second Formula 1 race, Franco Colapinto shined on the way to an eighth-placed finish to contribute to a big Williams points haul, which predecessor Logan Sargeant had failed to do.

Max Verstappen is impressed with Franco Colapinto’s start to life as a Formula 1 racer.

But he lamented that it may be an all-too-brief cameo for the Argentine driver. After all, Colapinto only has a contract for the final seven races of the season, having taken part in the last two after Williams decided to replace the struggling Logan Sargeant.

The American did not contribute any points to the team throughout the year, but Colapinto managed to do so in only his second race as an F1 driver. After qualifying for Q3, he went on to finish in eighth place at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The Williams rookie’s position improved due to the late crash between Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez as they battled for the podium. Even without that incident, he would still have finished in 10th place and earned a point.

Colapinto has earned the admiration of his colleagues by quickly jumping into the Williams seat without much warning. This even caught the attention of three-time F1 champion Verstappen, who noted that, despite Colapinto’s skills, there is no opportunity to win with the team in 2025. The Red Bull driver mentioned that the start was extremely impressive.

However, he expressed disappointment that the driver does not have a seat for the following year. Despite this setback, he believes the driver is already leaving a positive impression.

Colapinto is a newcomer in the F1 grid, to the extent that Lewis Hamilton briefly blanked out his name while sharing his thoughts on the performance. Hamilton crossed the finish line in ninth place, just behind the Williams racer who started from the pit lane. He also commended Oliver Bearman, who finished 10th for Haas in only his second F1 race.”

Hamilton expressed his admiration for the talented young drivers emerging in the sport and commended Oliver for his excellent performance in the race. He found the competition against Oliver to be tough but fair.

Hamilton also praised Colapinto from Williams for his impressive performance on that day. Williams has already made a decision on their 2025 driver lineup.

Alex Albon will remain as a driver for the team after agreeing to a new contract earlier this year.

On the other hand, Sainz will be joining the team in January following his loss of the Ferrari seat to Hamilton.

Colapinto has only one viable chance of securing a seat for the upcoming season as Audi is in search of a partner for Nico Hulkenberg. Formula 2 driver Gabriel Bortoleto is considered the top candidate for this position, but impressive performances in F1 could also draw attention to the Williams junior driver.