F1 pundit warns Red Bull against signing Franco Colapinto as Sergio replacement: "It's too early"

Franco Colapinto's move to Red Bull, where he replaces Sergio Perez and partners Max Verstappen, seems too early to F1 pundit Karun Chandhok. The Argentinian has been a breath of fresh air for many with his performances and has surprised everyone with how well he's done this without any prior testing.

Colapinto got the opportunity to race for Williams when James Vowles finally called time on Logan Sargeant's stint at the team and decided that it was time for a replacement. Since the very first outing in Monza, Colapinto has been a sensation. He has been more or less on the pace of Alex Albon, and at the same time, he's shown his adaptability with the car.

The problem, though, for both the Argentinian and Williams is that the driver does not have a contract for 2025. To add to this, Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon are supposed to be driving the car next season. This means that there might be a line of suitors lining up to acquire Colapinto's services. Red Bull is one of them, with Christian Horner seen going to the Williams hospitality in Brazil.

Although there are rumors of a possible move for the Argentinian, F1 pundit Karun Chandhok believes it is too soon for Franco Colapinto to be sent to a Red Bull seat alongside Verstappen. He said, via PlanetF1:

"He’s clearly very quick, clearly very talented. I think we’ll all admit, including Williams, that it’s been a bit of a surprise, because his junior formula record didn’t suggest he’s going to be as good as he has been, and maybe he is well suited to an F1 car or the style of driving, but I think it’d be a mistake to put him in a Red Bull."

Chandhok added:

“I think it’s too early. I think if they were talking about putting him in an RB, I think that’ll be a good, sensible choice and a career progression for him"

Karun Chandhok on the best choice for Red Bull if not Franco Colapinto

Expanding further on his point, Karun Chandhok felt that if there was a move to send Franco Colapinto to RB, that would make more sense as it would give the driver some time to gain experience within the sport. At the same time, if Sergio Perez's performances don't improve, he could be replaced by Liam Lawson at Red Bull, making the whole thing smoother. He said:

“The best choice or the best option is if Checo improves and stays there, that they don’t have to do anything, and they can stay status quo. But if that improvement is not coming, maybe they’re going to put Liam Lawson in and they put Franco in there [at VCARB]. Because honestly, if you look at the run he’s had, it’s like a guy who has done the perfect job interview, right?"

The F1 Insider added:

"He’s come there, made an impact, bang, quick straight away. Results [in] Singapore, Baku, amazing. But then as you’ve got into it and the races are unfolding, in Mexico, he was some way off Alex in qualifying, and Brazil, he was some way off Alex in qualifying, two big shunts – it’s still not the complete package in terms of his experience, I think."

Chandhok even said that this would be something that Colapinto's management would also consider. As the driver has yet to become a complete package, he said:

“I would think even for himself and his own management, I’d probably say, ‘let’s think of the long term here’. And if there’s an option of RB instead of going to Red Bull, I think that would be better for him, and it’s probably a better choice for Red Bull to be making as well.”

Before Franco Colapinto, Red Bull had tried to put young upcoming drivers alongside Verstappen, but that ploy has backfired spectacularly. Both Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly suffered against the Dutch driver and ended up losing their spot very quickly.