Verstappen responds to Red Bull claims about Colapinto

Given that Franco Colapinto, 21, has been closely associated with Red Bull and RB, Max Verstappen thinks the driver’s uncertain F1 future is “complicated.”

Max Verstappen claims that Franco Colapinto’s status is “complicated” despite ongoing rumours that the Argentine is associated with Red Bull.

The 21-year-old will finish the Formula One season at Williams, where he has taken Logan Sargeant’s place. However, as Carlos Sainz has already signed a deal until 2025, he will need to find another place to further his career.

James Vowles, the team principal at Williams, has been advocating for his academy graduate to find a new home in Formula One. However, since Stake chose Gabriel Bortoleto, Red Bull and RB seem to be the only options remaining.

To make things even more complicated, everything depends on what the joint Milton Keynes-Faenza team does with Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s current teammate.

Despite having a Red Bull contract for the upcoming season, the 34-year-old is performing poorly, and there is still a very real chance that he will be let go at the end of the current campaign.

In theory, it would open the door for Colapinto, who has shown promise since making his Formula One debut at the Italian Grand Prix, to join Red Bull or RB, with current drivers Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda also vying for a promotion.

Isack Hadjar, an F2 and reserve driver, is also in the wings, though, which might make things more difficult for the stand-in driver.

Verstappen first attempted to avoid answering questions about the circumstances and the rumours that connected Colapinto to the squad as a whole.

The Dutchman told reporters, including RacingNews365, that it’s difficult to respond to that as he’s still under contract with Williams.

“He’s performing admirably. Additionally, I believe that Williams is probably unsure about what to do with Franco.

The 27-year-old emphasised that F1 teams should take greater risks on up-and-coming drivers because of Colapinto’s predicament.

The 62-time grand prix champion went on, “It just shows that teams in general just need to be more open to putting young talents in and trusting them.”

“Because now you have this kind of situation where he’s a Williams junior and potentially has to leave or try to find luck elsewhere while they could have put him in the car.”

However, Verstappen’s ultimate admission that the matter is “complicated” highlights his conviction that Colapinto has done enough to merit a future full-time berth.

“It’s complicated,” said the three-time Formula One driver champion. Does he deserve a place on the grid, regardless of what he or his management decides to do? Yes, I believe, based on what he has demonstrated thus far. But for now, finding a place is difficult.