Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen Back Franco Colapinto for F1 2025 Seat

Franco Colapinto has done enough to warrant a full-time F1 seat, according to his backers Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

The 21-year-old Argentine driver has been making waves since standing in for Logan Sargeant at Williams since the Italian Grand Prix in September.

Colapinto has scored five points from two of the five Grands Prix he has contested so far and has beaten his more experienced teammate Alex Albon in the most recent race.

Impressive performances have earned him a spot on the wish lists of several F1 teams, with a seat at Sauber in 2025 and a possible move to Red Bull both being touted.

'I think he has done an outstanding job,' Hamilton said in a FIA press conference ahead of this weekend's Sao Paulo Grand Prix. 'He's got the minutes to minutes to get to get into the sport. Most of us, if we're lucky enough to get into the sport, we've had a little bit of preparation.

'If you look at Kimi [Räikkönen] young, he's had a lot of testing before his first race. This guy has had less than 20 hours in the car, which has never happened before.

'He's made a fantastic job of it. Always great to see young talent coming through and get the chance to shine.'

'I think he did it on his first race. We battled hard. It was very safe, very difficult, but fair and I think he deserves to be here. There is still one seat available. He says it's not his decision but my suggestion, keep going and do everything you can.'

'In the end, he just has to focus on doing his job every weekend, just as he has been doing. Hopefully, he has good people behind him doing the job right to make sure he can race here next year.'

Three-time world champion Verstappen was asked about the possibility of Colapinto joining the Red Bull family.

'It's hard to say because he's still committed to Williams,' he said.

'Williams might be struggling to know what to do with Franco, but from my personal point of view, this shows that teams in general need to be more open to placing young talent and trusting them.

'Now you're facing a situation where he is a junior driver for Williams and could potentially have to go and look for a seat next year. They could put him in their car. So it's complicated.

'Is he worthy of a grid spot? I think with what he has shown so far, yes. But it is not easy to get a seat at the moment.'

Colapinto has emphasized that it is not up to him to decide his future, but added 'if Williams can't give me a racing seat it's normal for them to allow me to go to another place and get the best chance for my future.'

'It will be something that will happen in the future and it will be very good if it happens. I think I won't be racing in F1 next year and that's my first thought. So I'm not too excited about all the talk going on.

'Let's see what happens.'