Argentine race driver Franco Colapinto will not feature in Formula 1’s 2025 season opener, the Australian Grand Prix on March 16. The news became official on Friday when RBF1 — Red Bull Racing’s sister team and the only one that had an opening seat for the next season — announced 20-year-old Frenchman Isack Hadjar as its second driver.

The issue was set in motion on Wednesday when Red Bull Racing announced that Mexican driver Sergio “Checo” Pérez was to part ways with the team. 

Liam Lawson, who raced for RBF1 in 2024 and is a Red Bull Junior Team graduate, was announced as Pérez’s replacement on Thursday, potentially opening a door for the Argentine racer.

However, the seat went to Hadjar, another member of the Red Bull academy. The 20-year-old Frenchman finished as runner-up to new Sauber hire Gabriel Bortoleto in the Formula 2 2024 championship before taking part in the 2024 F1 rookie test, where he finished in 15th position.

What now for Franco Colapinto?

As stated by Williams Racing team principal James Vowles when the rumors surrounding a 2025 seat for Colapinto started, he’s likely to remain the team’s reserve and test driver for the 2025 season. 

He’ll take part in tests with previous season’s cars, known as TPC, and also do simulator runs to help in the development of the 2025 car. 

“I fulfilled a life-long dream and I hope I can keep going,” Colapinto said on Thursday at the gala of the 2024 Olimpia Awards, which honor the best athletes in Argentine sport. “This year was amazing. I want to thank every Argentine for supporting and accompanying me across every race.”

He won the silver Olimpia for Motoring and shared the golden prize with Argentina’s men’s national football team goalkeeper Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez.

Colapinto’s chances to get a 2025 seat aren’t over yet. While he’s almost assuredly going to miss the first half of the season, options could appear in August, when F1 enters its summer break. 

That is the point where teams traditionally reevaluate their driver lineups. If any of the newcomers struggle to keep up with their team’s demands over the first set of races, it could open a spot for Colapinto, like it did in 2024 when Williams decided to replace Logan Sargeant.