Why has Formula 1 fallen so in love with Franco Colapinto? 

Formula 1 can be a pretty cut-throat business most of the time, and there is rarely any room for sentimentality and sappiness during the intensity of the season. 

But there is one stand out feel-good story this year that keeps on delivering – the almost rags to riches story of Franco Colapinto, who will receive a hero’s welcome in Brazil this weekend as South America has fallen in love with F1 again. 

Prior to this year’s Italian Grand Prix, not many knew much about him. He had a promising but not stellar F2 campaign, and his race win at Imola had barely registered as most eyes were focused on what the F1-bound Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman were doing. 

Fast forward five races and people cannot get enough of him. He has taken to F1 like a duck to water; he is quick in qualifying, understands the nuances of race pace, doesn’t make too many mistakes, and is not afraid to get his elbows out. 

Then, add on top of that, he has had a Martin Brundle grid walk moment, earned praise for a Carlos Reutemann tribute helmet, starred in a viral TV ad, and has found himself as a potential key player in some big driver moves at Red Bull. 

Having rookies impress quickly in F1 is not unique, and indeed Bearman made a pretty decent impression when he seized the opportunity of being Carlos Sainz’s replacement at Ferrari – and further did a spectacular job in Baku as he finished ahead of Nico Hulkenberg. 

Colapinto is still without a race seat for 2025 as Ferrari's Carlos Sainz will partner Alex Albon at Williams

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

But what Colapinto has added on top of his driving prowess is a personality and attitude that has endeared him to almost everyone.  

He hasn’t been tainted too much by the PR police where the schooling is of an encouragement to keep answers short and to the point – and definitely don’t say anything that causes a media frenzy. 

Instead Colapinto not only loves speaking – his standard response is to offer a lengthy down-to-earth explanation that engages and captivates. 

Love speaking is a bit of an understatement, because Colapinto is a gem to talk to – as he has this natural ease of getting his emotions out

That snub of Brundle on the Austin grid, which grabbed attention, was unintentional and out of character – and something he apologised for. 

“Martin is a massive, mega, mega, mega driver, and he left a legacy in the sport as well,” said Colapinto. “He never did any interview with me and, at least for me, it was not a great moment to be speaking in the camera.  

“I was going to the national anthem. I was very late and I was focused on the race. I was focused on driving, and I was just fully into that. I didn't want to think too much.  

Ex-F1 driver Brundle [centre] often does a pre-race grid walk

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

“I love speaking like now, but when I jump out of the car, in the racing mode, I try to be a bit more focused.” 

Love speaking is a bit of an understatement, because Colapinto is a gem to talk to – as he has this natural ease of getting his emotions out. Other drivers could certainly learn a lot from him. 

Just take this brilliant description of his arrival in F1: “It was like a bucket of cold water in many moments with everything. They just threw me in there with the lions, and they said: 'Try to do what you can!"  

Then there was his reflection on Ocon stealing his fastest lap in Austin as he joked to the cameras afterwards: “Why do they change tyres bro? We need to save the planet.” 

The buzz around him is also increased because he has woken up a fanbase that has been dormant for so long. Argentina has not had an F1 driver in 23 years and has not had one that has scored points since Carlos Reutemann in 1982. 

But the whole of Latin America has got behind him too. Sure, Mexico still has eyes on Sergio Perez, even during his troubled campaign, but other Spanish speaking nations are now buzzing too. 

Colapinto has become the focal point for a new wave of support from the region. And this is not just an Argentinean phenomenon, with individual nations only thinking of themselves like they do in football. 

The arrival of Colapinto, who is Argentina's first F1 driver since Gaston Mazzacane in 2001, means the Argentine Grand Prix may end its 26-year absence from F1

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

As he explained recently: “F1 is now seeing how much they miss those Latino fans, and those Argentinean fans, because they have been extremely insane. 

“And it's great to see so many Latinas, you know, all together. You can see in every other sport, there was some fight between the Brazilians, the Mexicans and Argentinians. But now in F1, in motorsport, it looks like everyone is together, and everyone is supporting me.” 

It's not just the media and fans who love him, because he has made a big impression on his team too – which extends far beyond just him doing the job in the car. 

As his race engineer Gaetan Jego told Autosport recently: “He is a lovely young man. Everybody loves him, I think. You cannot not love Franco. He is cute, I think that's a good word. But he's also bloody quick.  

"I would love to be eating, maybe a burger in a McDonald's, with a lot of cheese, and maybe I cannot do that because they are taking pictures now" Franco Colapinto

“I think we all were surprised by how quick he is in a F1 car. I don't think he would be here if we were not expecting him to be quick, but maybe not that quick. So, I think that really surprised us.  

“I think he's interesting, because at the beginning, when he joined us, we were doing sim sessions, he was sleeping at a hotel not far from the factory, and he kept coming to the factory using the bus. He would not want to take a taxi.  

“I had to push him and tell him: 'You are there. You need to use your privilege. Don't be shy of using your privilege. You need to protect yourself. Use every privilege you can, to make your life easier.' And then at some point, he agreed and now he is taking a taxi.” 

Colapinto was sixth in the F2 standings before being promoted

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Therein perhaps lies the key to understanding why Colapinto has engaged with everyone. It’s that, quite simply, he is just an ordinary kid who is living his dream at an unexpected moment. 

He is not lost in a world of private jets, swanning it on a yacht and thinking about buying his latest car. For him, it is the ordinary lifestyle that still appeals. 

“The thing is that I don't feel like a hero, so I feel the same as I was two years ago, when no one knew me,” he said. 

“Now it's like everyone stops me, and I am like, why are you stopping me? Why do you want a picture? And then I realise...  

“Or it is that I go to say ‘hi’ to someone, I introduce myself as "Franco", and they say "Well, we know you".  

“All of that I think comes with time, and it will happen when I start to get a bit more used to it, but it's... it is a bit difficult. 

“It has many good things, and it has many bad things as well, you know. And I would love to be eating, maybe a burger in a McDonald's, with a lot of cheese, and maybe I cannot do that because they are taking pictures now. So, you have to take a bit more care. But I am working on that…” 

Never change Franco.

Sauber or the Red Bull-owned teams are potential landing spots for Colapinto in 2025

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images