In Argentina, he has already achieved superstar status. Franco Colapinto has won everyone’s heart in just a few months, including that of Lionel Messi. “He has never been handed anything in his life.”
“Franco’s parents sent him to Europe alone at the age of fourteen, he attended school online,” says a source. “He started as a development driver at CRG, an Italian karting team, and lived above the factory. Although he participated in races, he often drove with parts and engines for the following year. His karting career was not exceptional, as he had no money. CRG recognized his talent, which is why he was allowed to drive as a development driver for free.”
“At the end of 2018, his father paid for a race in the Spanish F4. Franco had never driven a car before, yet he won one of the three races. Franco was about to return to Argentina. That’s when we decided to help him. With everything. It was a big gamble, you never know how things will turn out. But we saw in Franco that little bit extra that a driver needs to reach the top. For many boys, racing is a game. Not for Franco, he was on a mission. He always said: ‘I have no idea if this is my last race weekend’.”
“Many people don’t know this, but Maria and I call him Mowgli, the boy from the Jungle Book movie. Franco has the same survival instinct. He has never been handed anything, except what Maria and I have given him from our hearts. Sometimes our minds said: ‘Maybe we should cut our losses and stop’. Especially when expensive bills for Formula 3 and Formula 2 arrived. But our hearts said: ‘No, we won’t give up’.”
“Franco lived with us in Spain because his father couldn’t afford to rent an apartment. We were under enormous financial pressure. I invested a lot of money in him: more than Williams. The risk I took was considerably greater than the risk Williams took by putting him in the car. Everyone was surprised that they chose Franco, probably except me. Because I know what he’s capable of, I know his focus and dedication. The only one who brought Franco to Formula 1 is himself.”
‘MP Motorsport was the perfect fit’
“Henk de Jong (owner) and Sander Dorsman (team boss) of MP Motorsport are like family to us, just like the rest of the team. Franco still keeps in touch with his engineer there, sometimes asking him for advice. We are very grateful to MP for what they have done and given. In Monza, Franco went to the ‘other side’ of the paddock at his first Formula 1 race to thank everyone on the team again for all their support. MP has been a very important part of his career. It was the perfect fit.”
“How would I characterize Franco? As a very modest 21-year-old boy, friendly and very relaxed. He loves training and cycling, enjoys playing padel, and is a big fan of Boca Juniors. He is living his dream now, enjoying every day. Franco is definitely not a party animal, he doesn’t drink. Yes, very occasionally he’ll have a glass of red wine or a gin and tonic. But if he has a glass of that, he’s already completely drunk. Maria and I got married a month ago, Franco – our seventh child – was there too. Upon arrival, he had a gin and tonic. Well, he was flying, even though the glass wasn’t even half empty, haha. If Franco smells alcohol, he gets drunk,” his manager concludes with a wink.
