Helmut Marko and Christian Horner could sign rival F1 star as team principal lays out plan

James Vowles has hinted that Franco Colapinto could be a candidate for next season, should opt to fire and bring one of the team's two incumbent drivers into the fold.

Perez is facing a career-defining final five races of 2024 and with both Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda impressing and hungry for an opportunity with the Red Bull team, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko are not short of viable alternatives to the six-time Grand Prix winner.

If either Lawson or Tsunoda gets the call, it will leave an intriguing opportunity open at VCARB. Isack Hadjar is a strong candidate to fill that vacancy, as is Super Formula talent Ayumu Iwasa, but Marko and Horner could look externally and try to poach one of the most exciting talents on the market.

That man is Colapinto, who has scored points in two of his first four starts after replacing Logan Sargeant after the Dutch Grand Prix. With Alex Albon and signed up long-term from 2025, the 21-year-old racer is looking for an alternative route onto the grid.

When asked about possible destinations for Colapinto on the Beyond the Grid podcast, Williams boss Vowles said: "First and foremost, he's worthy of being a Formula One driver.

"So we will do what we have to - to a certain extent - to make it work in that regard. I'm not sure where Sauber are in their decision-making, and I'm not sure where VCARB are in their decision-making.

"What I do know is this - take the last 12 months and tell me that you managed to predict anything of what's going to happen. Because I didn't... Finding the way forward for him to be a professional racing driver in Formula One is key. I just can't tell you what it looks like, because each team is different in how they talk."

Marko and VCARB have precedent for bringing in drivers from outside the junior ranks. The Faenza-based team signed Nyck de Vries to replace Pierre Gasly and when he was sacked after just 10 races in F1, they turned to the experienced Daniel Ricciardo - albeit formerly a product of the team's academy - rather than signing a youngster.

If they want to poach Colapinto, Williams are unlikely to stand in VCARB's way, although Marko and Horner will need to fight off interest from Sauber. Mattia Binotto is weighing up the Argentinian, Valtteri Bottas and Gabriel Bortoleto for the seat alongside Nico Hulkenberg next year.